An Unexpected Turnout
by Hollow-Bankai
Summary: School was the least of his worries after vacation started, but now Ichigo has to worry about a mysterious yet familiar box that shows up in his inner world. Not only that, but he's invited to spend a week in the Soul Society. This can't be good.
1. Chapter 1

_Bleach and all the characters in this content belong to Tite Kubo. I do not claim anything except for Ren, Shu, and Katsuya which are my OC._

This is my first fan-fiction, so please go easy on me.

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><p><strong>An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 1<strong>

He was looking out the window, watching everything that was happening outside of the small classroom. It was the last day of school, so who cares what the teacher has to say? The only interesting thing that was happening outside was the leaves falling and cars passing by ever so slowly.

"And that's what happened!" Miss. Ochi said with a smile. She looked up at the clock for a second and back at the students. "Well we have about 10 minutes until the bell rings so do whatever you want." The class looked at her puzzled, but then got out of their chairs and started talking to one another. Ichigo was still looking out the window.

"ICHIGOOOOOOO!" Keigo yelled dancing over to Ichigo. He jumped, looking at Keigo like he was crazy. "Wow, I actually scared you. HA! Ichigo gets- ACK!" Ichigo slapped him with his bag standing up, sending Keigo back a few steps holding his head.

"What the hell?" Ichigo growled.

"AH! Why'd you hit me?" Keigo screamed. Ichigo just looked at him with a blank stare. Keigo recovered and walked over to Ichigo normally, being cautious of his bag, still in hand. "So! What's your summer plans?"

"I don't know. I've got nothing planned right now."

"Hey Ichigo!" Mizurio called to him.

"What's up?" Ichigo asked, "Any far away trip with your girlfriend this summer?"

"Well, we're going to the Bahamas! Her, her friends and I. I have a vacation home there so we'll all stay there. It was a gift from my grandfather; surprisingly it has a lot of rooms so I go there often with my relatives. It's a first with my girlfriend though." He smiled.

"Oh, well that sounds—"

"WHAT?" Keigo interrupted. "You didn't invite me to this? How many times are you going to leave me out Mizurio?" Mizurio looked at Keigo and smiled.

"I didn't forget you; I'm inviting you this time. One of my girlfriend's friends has had their eye on you."

"FINALLY! Her eyes on me? Thank you Mizurio!" Keigo pranced around the room cheerfully leaving the two alone. Ichigo and Mizurio watched for a while, then the bell rang.

"Well I'll see you all after vacation is over! Have a good one and don't forget about your assignments!" Miss. Ochi called as everyone stormed out of the room. Ichigo and Mizurio walked out behind everyone, seeing Orihime, Tatsuki, and Chad walking down the hall. Mizurio ran to them waving, telling them to wait for him. Ichigo hung back, looking around the hall.

"Shouldn't you be with them?" A familiar voice asked from behind his back. He kept walking but turned his head a bit to one side and looked out of the corner of his eye. It was Uryu.

"I guess, but I'm not really in the mood to talk right now." Ichigo answered. Uryu pushed his glasses up on his face and spoke.

"Oh, interesting," He said walking by Ichigo now. There was an awkward silence for a moment or two. Ichigo looked at him for a few seconds, earning him a stare from Uryu. "What? I'm not really curious about why you're not in the mood for talking. So I'm not asking, if that's what you're thinking."

"O…kay…So, what's your plans for this summer?" Ichigo said, changing the subject.

"Well, all I know is that I'm probably going to be training," he said. Orihime, Tatsuki, Mizurio, and Chad were rounding the corner up ahead. "And kill all the hollows your too slow to kill." Ichigo twitched at the answer. Uryu turned his head, pushing his glasses up on his face again smiling a bit.

"Well, that's some nice plans you got there," Ichigo groaned. They both were approaching the corner now. When they turned it, the others were out of sight.

"You?" Uryu said, throwing the question right back at him.

Ichigo really didn't want to talk to Uyru at the moment. He thought by saying he wasn't in the mood would get rid of him, but Uryu didn't take the hint. It was either Uryu was to slow to get it or got the idea but stayed, and kept talking to Ichigo just to annoy him. He was going to just tell him straight up, but this was one of the rare times Uryu actually started a conversation with him, so he allowed it for now, even though he really didn't want to.

"Nothing that I know of, protect the town from hollows..." he replied. "Not unless something random happens like the last summer vacation and I have to go away on "business" again."

After Ichigo received his soul reaper powers from Rukia, he had to go to the Soul Society to get her back before her execution. Since last summer, he hasn't had a break from going too far off places, missing school a lot. Kon would replace him, but his soul wasn't in his body. Who knows what will happen this summer.

Ichigo and Uryu were now outside in the school yard, keeping a steady pace toward the road.

"Mm, well if that happens, I'll have to step in and take over your duties; but I'll do them better." He remarked. They were both at the street now, standing.

"Heh, well I'll be sure that doesn't happen," Ichigo said.

"Right… well, I guess I'll see you." Uryu said turning right out of the school yard.

"Yup…" Ichigo watched him walk away toward his home. After he was out of sight, he turned the opposite direction and made his way to his house.

...

Above the park in Karakura Town, a Senkaimon opened. Smoke came out of the door way and faded. A few moments later, a shadowy figure stepped out of the doorway. It walked about a yard away from the doors as they closed. It stepped into the sunlight, revealing the details on him. He had straight dark brown hair that came to his shoulders. He wore black rimmed glasses that were narrow and had a chain attached to them. His clothes were that of a soul reapers, except his uniform, which had a captain's haori, or what looked like one, wrapped around his waist. It didn't have any specific pattern on it. Just lines going around the bottom of the piece of clothing. His sword was hanging from his back. It looked like a regular kantana. This tall man was holding a black box with bone like accessories under his left arm. It looked somewhat like a gift box, except it had no wrapping paper on it, and there wasn't a bow on the top of the box.

The man looked around for a second, taking in the scenery, and took a deep breath.

"Well well," he smirked, "looks like I'm in the right place." He lowered himself from the sky and landed next to a park bench on a trail. There were a bunch of trees around the trail, making it hard to see with so little light shining in from the small spaces between the leaves rustling in the afternoon breeze. He walked down the trail, noticing it was getting darker with each step. He saw a light approaching, meaning that he was getting closer to an open area; possibly an open field. He observed the area around him after going into the light, shifting the box from under his left arm to his right and then held it down on his right side. He saw more benches, circling the open space. He picked one all the way on the other side of the field, taking a seat. He sat the box beside him and folded his legs and laid his back on the back of the bench. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. He sat there for a minute breathing in deeply and letting out a big sigh. One of his eyes opened lazily.

"I hope you don't disappoint me, Ichigo…..Kurosaki," He said snapping his finger once, smirking and closing his opened eye as slow as he opened it, chuckling a bit. The chuckle ended with a soft outward breathe.

The air started to fog up around the area. A figure appeared in the fog, opening and closing after letting out a bigger figure. The fog thickened as the creature gave off a frustrated howl. The wind started to blow and then stopped, clearing the fog.

...

Ichigo walked up to his front door step, getting the keys to unlock the door. He got a quick glance at his watch to see that it was already 5:00p.m.

What took him so long to get here? He walked at a normal pace. And the route he always takes is the fastest route home. It shouldn't have taken him over an hour to get here.

He held off on opening the door to figure out why he was so late. Thinking back to his normal route, he remembered turning around for some reason. He scratched his head and thought harder.

...

The cars were turning the corner rather quickly to get out of the area as fast as possible. It was building up traffic, making Ichigo unable to cross the street.

_What's going on? _He thought. Usually, when he was coming home from school, there were little to no cars at the intersection. If there were some, Ichigo would dash across the street before they came, nearly getting ran over in the process if the driver either didn't see him or wanted to run some kids over that day. Overall, there really shouldn't be this many cars over here.

He got curious and walked down the side walk where the cars were coming from. A few steps down, he heard metal clanking on something. A trashcan maybe? Who knows, but Ichigo was going to find out. When he reached the end of the street, he noticed the cars had stopped coming. Also he heard some talking.

"Ugh! Where's that damn kid?" A rough voice said.

"He's not on this street dude! You screwed up again!" Another voice came. There was a loud banging noise and shouting between the men.

"Crap!" The man yelled.

"It's the other corner! We needa go there before we miss him." A different more nervous voice said.

_What the… Oh! _ Ichigo remembered those voices. He had chased off some men a few weeks ago for tagging the wall where a spirit girl stayed. He beat the thugs and made them clean the wall up. Ichigo stayed there and made sure they did too. They were back for revenge on him now.

Ichigo sighed. Suddenly he heard footsteps, they were faint, but he heard some. He heard someone saying something with a commanding voice and the footsteps quickened. They were coming. Ichigo thought for a second knowing this. He started moving back to his street corner, the traffic not there anymore, getting a smirk on his face. He looked back around the corner of the wall to see if the thugs were coming and dug in his bag for something. Then he pulled out a doll.

"AH! Fresh air! Finally!" The stuffed lion gasped. Ichigo held him by his head, poking him to get his attention. "What?" He said.

"Hey, I got an idea, and unfortunately I need your help." He said looking a bit serious.

"Oh?" Kon raised his brows. "Seeming that you never ask me for help, besides watching your sisters, this is a shock."

"Yea, so? Are you going to help me or not?"

"Depending on what's up." Ichigo pulled Kon closer so he could whisper in his ear. He looked a bit pleased with what Ichigo was saying, and agreed.

A few moments later, the men from down the street appeared. There were three of them. One was holding a metal rod. That was probably the object that was making that noise earlier. The other two were holding spray paint cans.

"KUROSAKI!" The guy with the rough voice holding the metal rod said. The orange haired teen was leaning on the wall, looking up at the man with the rod.

"Oh, your back." He said, standing up straight.

"Yea, with pay back." The guy said. He tapped the rod in his left hand, holding it in his right, making sure he saw it.

"Oh really? And I suppose you're going to beat me with that?"

"You sound rather confident Kurosaki." He looked at the other men behind the guy who was talking and looked back at him.

"Hmph." The men started getting angrier. "Listen, I got stuff to do, so let's make this quick."

"You think you're so tough? I won't get beaten by you a second time." The young teen looked off for a moment, nodding, and refocused on the task at hand.

"Tell you what, I'll give you a handy cap," He reasoned. "I won't move from this spot, and you can hit me where ever you want, if you can." The thug scoffed, holding the rod tighter in his hand.

"Tch! I don't need a handy cap, but hey, it's your funeral." The guy dashed over to the defenseless teen. Suddenly, getting hit by something. "AH!" He started receiving invisible punches, getting knocked to the ground then thrown into the two men with the spray bottles. They looked at him with wide eyes realizing that he hadn't moved at all. "Wha-what the hell?" They moved back, scrambling to their feet. The other men received a few punches or kicks as well. "Ok, Ok we give!" They said in a desperate voice.

"Good," He said,"now get out of here before I kick your ass up and down the street!" The men screamed running away, dropping their objects.

"_Heh, straightened them out." _A voice said from behind.

"Yo, Ichigo!" Ichigo stood behind Kon in soul reaper form.

"_That should do it," _He said getting his badge from his pocket.

"Most exciting thing I've done all week," Kon smiled.

"Yea I'm glad you had fun, not get outta my body."

...

He unlocked the door, remembering his conflict on the way home. If he told his dad that for an excuse for not being on time, most likely he wouldn't believe him or he'd just jump on him like every time he's late getting home. Either way, he had to be prepared for what's on the other side of the door waiting for him.

Ichigo opened the front door a bit, to peek inside to see if there were any surprise attacks waiting for him. Seeing that it was safe, he walked inside. So far so good. He closed the door ever so quietly and tip toed up the stairs to his room. He noticed that Yuzu and Karin were in the kitchen, Yuzu cooking and Karin just sitting at the table. No Isshin. Was he at work? Ichigo looked back down the stairs to make sure he wasn't creeping up behind him. Big mistake. Suddenly, Ichigo feels something kick his side, and gets knocked back down the stairs by some feet. He looked up furiously at the top of the stairs.

"Where have you been? You're late! Just because it's the last day of school, doesn't mean you can lollygag, and not come home on time!" Isshin yelled.

"Ah shut up! It wasn't my fault I couldn't get home on time! There was traffic."

"So? Traffic doesn't make you this late!" Isshin jumped down the stairs and started to pick Ichigo up to throw him. Ichigo kicked him in the stomach trying to get a loose from his grasp. He dropped to his feet, unhurt for the most part. Isshin, however, hit the stairs on his back.

"You two stop fighting! Ichigo just got home so the least you could do is hold off on that!" Yuzu said, peeking around the corner.

"Fine." Isshin agreed, getting off the floor. Ichigo just walked up the stairs without a word, holding his side where his dad kicked him. Yuzu went back in the kitchen and her dad followed, interested in what she was making for dinner.

Ichigo went into his room, closing his door behind him. He threw his bag on the floor beside his bed, making Kon fly out.

"Hey!" He barked.

"Sorry," Ichigo apologized, shrugging. He plopped himself on his bed, face down and laid there for a minute. Then he flipped over putting his hands behind his head, bored. Kon climbed up on his bed and sat beside his pillow.

"Ugh, I'm so bored! Why can't we go out to see some ladies or something? I haven't seen a real woman in ages!" Kon whined.

"Shut up! What you would do to them would be illegal."

"You don't know that!"

"And I don't want to either." They sat in silence for a while. Ichigo took his badge out of his pocket, looking at it. He never really did pay attention to the details on it. He just shoved it into his chest, or Kon's head and either forget about it or just drop it where he was at, at the moment. It wasn't that interesting to look at though, so he put it on his desk beside his bed.

"I hate to admit it, but I kind of wish something "super natural" would happen." Ichigo said sitting up.

"Be careful what you wish for." Kon said. After saying that, there was a howl coming from inside Ichigo's room. It was his soul reaper badge, flashing and making a whole lot of noise. Kon jumped and Ichigo grabbed it to try and shut it up.

"Yea, Yea I get it! Shut up damn it!" Ichigo shoved it on his chest and popped out of his body, turning into a soul reaper. He looked at his body and then at Kon. He grabbed him and took his pill out of the plush toy and put it in his body regretfully. "Watch my family Kon, and don't do anything illegal while I'm out!" Ichigo said opening the window.

"Yup! You bet," Kon smiled waving to Ichigo. Ichigo jumped out the window and bounced off to find the hollow.

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><p>Hope you liked chapter one. Review please!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 2**

After a while of jumping around to find the hollow, Ichigo heard a scream, leading him in the right direction. He ran in the air, toward the screaming, and found the victim.

The lady was about as tall as Ichigo, in her heels, and wore a long red dress. Her hair was long and wavy, going down to the middle of her back. She had a chain coming from her chest though, so she wasn't human. Behind her followed a gigantic hollow. It had bird like features, a beck and wings. Coming off the wings at the end were hands. It was like the hollow was holding the wings with them, but could open its hands without dropping them. It had a lizard like tail and short legs. It was using its wings to help it go faster, not leaving the ground though.

The lady ran fast, despite the fact that she was in heels, she was out running the hollow. Running fast comes with a cost though. Ichigo was waiting for her trip, like in all situations in running, but she never did. He started down toward the hollow a few seconds later, taking his sword out. Ichigo gave a grunt and came down on the hollows head, or thought he did. The hollow dodged the sneak attack giving out a howl. It took its focus off the women to see who was interfering with his hunt. It swung its tail at Ichigo but didn't hit anything. Ichigo jumped out of the way in time for it. He then swung his sword at the hollows arm, making a huge gash in it. The hollow screamed in pain, holding its arm. Ichigo used this time to help the women in shock nearby the fight.

"Are you ok?" Ichigo asked. She nodded looking frightened. "I need you to go hide somewhere so you won't get stuck in the crossfire. I'll do a konso on you when I'm finished, Ok?" Still to stunned to speak, the spirit women nodded and shot past Ichigo to a nearby tree. Just in time too. The hollow angrily slashed out, trying to draw blood from Ichigo. It didn't like the idea of someone interfering, or messing with its food for that matter. Ichigo blocked with his sword, trying to stop the attack, but the hollow kept pressuring him, hitting its claws on his sword not letting up. It then kicked Ichigo into a tree, the one the women was hiding behind. She jumped on impact and moved away. Ichigo got up as fast as he could, running in the other direction, trying to lure the hollow away from her. He fired a getsuga tensho at it, getting its attention. The attack hit it in the back making blood fly out of the new wound. It roared and ran toward Ichigo. When it was in close enough range, he jumped up above the hollow and came down onto its mask. It cracked, but didn't break.

"What the hell?" Ichigo put most of his strength into that swing, and all it did was crack the mask? It should have been way easier to slide his blade through the hollows head. This wasn't normal. While he was trying to figure out what was wrong with this hollow, he forgot his sword was still wedged between the crack he made trying to kill it. The huge beast grabbed Ichigo by the waist and threw him toward a statue that was sitting in the middle of the field. Ichigo shoved his sword into the ground to slow him down, but it was no good. He let go of his sword and slammed into the statue, full force, hitting his back on impact. Ichigo fell to the ground, groaning in pain, putting his hands on his back, as the hollow came for him. The hollow was getting closer and closer to him with every giant step. It was also getting closer to his sword. Was it going after that or after Ichigo? The intentions were unknown for what the hollow would do next.

Ichigo looked up, shaking off the back pain, watching the hollow approach his sword. He got up, stumbling a bit, trying to get his body out of shock. He didn't know what to do. If it got a hold of his sword, it couldn't really do anything. But it would make Ichigo defenseless. He had to do something quick. Ichigo dashed for his sword, still sticking straight up in the ground. The hollow was about 4 steps away from it. He flashed over to his sword, the hollow practically right in front of him, and grabbed his hilt, desperately trying to pull it out. No good. The hollow was getting ready for an attack. It held its long bird like arm up in the air and was about to smack Ichigo into something else. He frantically pulled, but realized this wasn't going to work. Then he had an idea. The hollow swung his hand down at Ichigo. He braced himself.

"Getsuga Tensho!" It was like an explosion. The ground shook and pieces of the earth flew up in the air and back down onto the area below, making small craters in the ground. The air was filled with dust and dirt, blowing around like a tornado. And the sound was so loud, you couldn't hear a thing.

The hollow flew back into some benches, and then skidded across the field, breaking a couple of lamp posts before coming to a complete stop. Ichigo was still holding on to his hilt. His arms and hands were burning. He looked down and saw blood coming from them. This never happened when he used a getsuga tensho before, but that was when his blade wasn't obstructed by anything. Since it was face down in the ground, the only other place it could go was up, without any effort. Ichigo was holding his hilt, mainly directly above it, so this was to be expected.

He tried pulling his sword out again, ignoring the pain in his hands and arms. The attack weakened the ground around it so he got it out easily, dropping it afterward. Ichigo could barely hold it in his hands. The inside of his hand was practically burned. He took the cloth from his sword hilt and wrapped it around both of his hands, so he could relieve some of the pain from gripping his sword once more. He couldn't do that much for his arms though, only wrap them like his hands to stop the bleeding.

The hollow staggered to its feet, more frustrated and in more pain than ever. Ichigo heard it move and looked over a bit angry. _Why won't this thing stay down? _The hollow received some cuts, but nothing major, as he could see. All that happened was the mask cracked even more. There was about an inch or so left before it completely cracked in half. "One more head blow should do it," he said, hoping he was right. No hollow should have been this hard to kill. Not the normal ones anyway. Ichigo struggled to pick his sword up. He needed to kill it before it killed him. He didn't want to use bankai, because even though no one was around, it's kind of sad to have to use it on one measly hollow. When he finally got it in hand, he charged over and jumped half way to it. The hollow was still out of it when Ichigo was attacking, so this was a great time to strike. Ichigo slammed his sword into the hollows mask, finally breaking it in two, making it crumble and disappear.

He gave a huge sigh of relief, leaning on his sword for support. He then walked over to the place where he left the lady spirit. She walked out from behind a tree to greet him.

"You ok?" Ichigo asked again. She looked at him weird, then spoke.

"Yes, and shouldn't I be asking you that? You're all beat up."

"Well this is my job; I get injured like this most of the time. I've had worse." Ichigo gave a small smile, reassuring the lady. "Well it's konso time."

"Hmm? What's that?"

"Soul funeral." He said taking his weight off his sword, holding the hilt backwards so that the blade is pointing to his back. "I have to hit you with the butt of my hilt so you can rest in peace."

"Hit?" She backed away a few steps, not liking that word. Ichigo breathed out, losing his patients.

"Not hit, a tap I mean. It won't hurt; it's just a pass to the Soul Society. It's a better place to live anyways, and you don't want to be chased by that monster again do you?" She waited a moment, thinking. Ichigo didn't think it would take her this long to figure out if she wanted to run like that on a daily basis. It was a simple question, she's thinking way too hard on this.

"I suppose," she said with an unsure voice.

"Great!" Ichigo lightly tapped the women's forehead, leaving a red mark on it. She then started to disappear. Her eyes were closed the whole time, so she didn't see anything after the tap. A few seconds later, she completely disappeared, leaving no trace but a hell butterfly, flying toward the sky.

Ichigo gave a big sigh. Then he started to feel the pain he had forgotten about. His back started throbbing severely, making him cringe, almost forcing him to fall to one knee. He slowly made his way over to a bench, that wasn't destroyed by the battle, and sat down. He sat there for a bit, trying to wait out the pain. While doing this, he unwrapped his hands and arms to see how they were doing. The bleeding stopped but still hurt, like getting burned from standing to close to a fire. It started to fade away over time, but throbbed when he moved any part of his body that was injured.

He finally got up, and started to walk home, but stopped at a nearby tree. He looked around suspiciously. "Who's there?" He called out to the open field. The wind blew and something jumped out of the tree behind Ichigo, making him turn around quickly.

"Hmm?" The man looked at Ichigo for a second, as if he was analyzing him. "What's with that look? Do I have something on my face?" Ichigo kept staring at him, not impressed. "Don't be that way… Sorry for scaring you. I do that often…"

"Well when you sneak around in trees, and jump out behind people what do you think will happen?"

"Heh, heh… Can't help it. I was a member of the stealth force so that's a habit."

Ichigo looked at the man before him. He wasn't that interesting to look at. He was a soul reaper, no doubt about that. He wore some type of jacket around his waist. It was white and had blue lining around the bottom of it. His hair looked a bit off, but it was basically straight. He held some type of box in his hand. It looked rather festive, because it had something dangling from the lid, but the overall color of the box was black.

"Was?"

"Yeah. It's not a bad thing. I got promoted. I wasn't good at the being stealthy, but I did have a talent for healing. So I was promoted to Squad four." There was a silence. The guy was looking around, a bit interested in the scenery.

"Wow, did you do this? Some fight… I wish I saw it…" Ichigo gave him a look. "Oh, sorry. I talk to myself some times." He scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. "You're pretty quiet… My name's Shu. Nice to meet you." He smiled, holding his hand out.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo looked at his hand; showing it to Shu. "I don't think I can shake hand at the moment."

"Oh! Here, I'll heal your wounds and then we can seal the deal. Sound good?" Without Ichigo's consent, Shu sat his box down and walked closer to him. He put his right finger on Ichigo's forehead and his left finger on his chest. The tips of his fingers started to glow.

It stung for a second, but then it started to feel warm in all the places Ichigo was injured at. A minute later, Shu took his fingers off him, stepping back, picking his box back up. Ichigo looked at his arms, noticing that all the scars from the fight with the hollow were gone.

"Wow, nice job Shu!" Ichigo complemented.

"Thank you, it was nothing though. This is why I was promoted to squad four. Squad two didn't offer nor desired a member of the stealth force healing soul reapers when they got injured on missions. It would jeopardize the mission. I didn't like the stealth force that much anyways."

Ichigo really didn't want to hear a background story from someone he just met but, Shu was probably going to keep talking. There was really no point in telling him not to even try reminiscing right here and now. Ichigo just stood there, acting interested. "Oh?" He said.

"Yes, all the soul reapers there didn't like me a lot. Maybe it was because of my skills. I was faster than the others, and I could release my zanpakuto into its shikai. The others could have been jealous, but it wasn't really my fault, I was naturally fast, and I trained a lot, so there wasn't any need for jealousy. I can't think of any other reason. They would always treat me badly whenever they had a chance, and pushed me into the open when we were on a mission. I'd always get in trouble, despite my strength. I couldn't stand it there."

There was a small pause between Shu's ranting. Ichigo was getting a bit irritated now, listening to his past. He just got healed and was feeling a lot better. Better than before the hollow fight actually. He felt like he could beat a hundred hollows in a row, non-stop.

Shu was about to speak again, but he looked at Ichigo before he did. Ichigo gave him a blank stare. Reading his face, Shu spoke up.

"I'm sorry, I don't usually have people to talk to, so when I get the chance, I'll talk too much for my own good."

"Uh… It's ok." Shu started tapping the box in his hand with his thumb. He did it about five times and stopped.

"So you're a substitute soul reaper?" Shu asked, trying to get Ichigo involved in the conversation.

"Yeah. It's nothing special though, the title, that is. I'm just a normal soul reaper, somewhat."

"Interesting! That means you have a badge? May I see it? I've always wanted to see one, there are not many substitutes at the Soul Society, and well… there are probably none, so I've never seen one." Ichigo dug in his pockets, feeling around for the badge. It wasn't there. He looked down for a second, and then put his hand in the baggy space of his shihakusho, finding something. He pulled it out, and it happened to be his badge.

"I don't remember putting it there, but ok…" Ichigo handed the substitute soul reaper badge to Shu. He held it by the rope, tied to the base, and looked at it hard. The sun was still up, but the sunlight was blocked by some trees. He twisted it around to the back, then to the front. Then he laid it on the box, in his right hand. Shu put his finger in the rope loop, and started playing with it; sliding the badge around on the top of the box.

"Very interesting." Shu had his head down, looking at the badge.

"Well, it's not much to look at. It's more annoying then interesting. But it does warn me when hollows are around, so it's not so useless."

"I see." Shu stopped sliding his finger on the box. He looked at Ichigo, at the box, and back at Ichigo again and smiled. "Here, I want you to have this." He held the box with both hands, extending them out to give to Ichigo, along with his badge. "I don't know why, but I feel as if this should be yours." The teenage soul reaper looked at the black cube in Shu's hands. He didn't want it, but he was curious what was inside. He'd rather Shu open it and show him then him giving it to Ichigo, and he not liking what was inside. Although, if he didn't like it, he could just give it back, or set it somewhere in his room and forget about it.

Ichigo's hands reached for the box. It wasn't heavy. It was actually very light, like nothing was in there at all. He held in with his left hand, like Shu did when he was holding it.

"Thanks, Shu." Ichigo said, unsurely. He started tapping the side of the box with his finger, the stopped after about four taps.

"You're welcome," Shu replied smiling, "I've been carrying it for a while now. I have no idea why, it's just a habit. I forgot what was in it too." Ichigo started playing with his badge, sliding it on top of the box with his finger. Shu looked at him and smirked a bit. It vanished when he started talking again. "Well, I have to go. Places to see, people to meet. Can't slack off on my job now. I'll see you around, Ichigo Kurosaki, if you are ever in the Soul Society, that is."

Shu turned his back to Ichigo, walking away. Ichigo was still playing with the badge. He stopped and took his finger off the box, blinking a couple times, then looked up at Shu. "Oh yea, bye Shu." Shu put his hand up, waving, and then started running onto the trail. The tree's covered him, so Ichigo lost sight of him after he stepped in.

…

He was running on air now, away from the park. He started walking slowly after a while.

"Four? That's odd… I thought it would have worked better. Oh well, something must be preventing it from doing its job." He smirked, rubbing his head. "I'll just use it to my advantage." He looked down at the town below him for a while. "I hope you don't get brought into this, Katsuya…" He snapped his fingers, making a large door appear. The doors slid open, and he walked in casually. The doors shut behind him, disappearing.

…

Ichigo was still facing the direction Shu had run off in. "Squad four huh? He must know Hanataro then." Ichigo gave out a sigh. He then sees a flash of light from the corner of his eye. Was it a car maybe? It wasn't that dark for people to need head lights, not unless they were blind, but still.

He turned around to see if it was a car. Nothing was there. _How was I supposed to see a car in the middle of an open field with trees surrounding it? _Ichigo thought to himself, getting pissed off with himself for not seeing the obvious.

The flash came again, making Ichigo look down. It was coming from the eyes of his badge.

That wasn't normal. It only did that when a hollow was near, but it would make noise too. Maybe it was broken. All things can be broken somehow. It wasn't like it was invincible. It was just a deputy badge.

The flashes kept coming. Ichigo reached for the badge. The flashes started getting brighter. He squinted, trying to grab it, but when he did, he felt himself being picked up. He saw pure white light flash in front of him. Then he felt a sharp pain on the back of his body, and everything went black.

* * *

><p>Wounder what will happen next...<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 3**

"Where could he be? He's not at home, or in his room," A voice said.

"I don't know; try searching for his spiritual pressure maybe?" A more feminine voice replied.

"What do you think I've been doing for the past hour? That's normally how we find him in the first place!"

"Well you're not that good at it, for a Lieutenant."

"Ugh! Why aren't you looking? This is your job, not mine. I just wanted to tag along."

"I am looking. With my eyes. And yes this is my job but since you came, you might as well do something." There was a silence between the two. They walked around until they wondered into a park.

"Ah! I finally picked up something."

"He's close… But why is he here? I've never really seen him here, only on certain occasions." They ventured further into the playful environment until they saw, what looked to be, some misplaced objects. The two walked a bit faster to see the whole scene.

"What the hell happened here?" The place was basically trashed. Broken benches, bent lamp posts, and dented statues were all around them. They looked around to see if the culprit was still around somewhere, and sure enough they found him.

The duo ran over to the suspect, getting a better view. Getting closer they saw a teen leaning on a tree, out cold.

"Ichigo? Why's he sleeping in the middle of the park?"

"How should I know?"

He had a few scratches on him, but overall he looked fine. Nothing serious, anyway.

One of the two bent down in front of him and examined his face. Then got close to his ear. "Ichigo? Hey! You want to wake up now?" He didn't move at all. Ichigo was just taking tiny breathes, in and out; that's mostly all the movement he did. "Wow, is he a hard sleeper?"

"I don't know. I don't sleep in his room! You tell me." The two stared at him for a while. Then one of them noticed something.

"Hmm? Rukia, what's that?" He asked her, pointing to something beside Ichigo. She looked over at him, following his finger to see what he was pointing at. She had to side step a bit to see, but she saw it eventually.

"A box? Use your head, Renji"

"I know that," he let out a breathe and bent down to look at the box. Rukia walked over, curious too.

"What is he doing with this?" Renji asked.

"Don't ask questions that no one knows. Anyways, we need to wake him up; we're here on important business, remember?" Rukia looked at the sleeping soul reaper.

"You sure you wanna wake him up? Why can't we just carry him home? He's less annoying that way. "

"Not unless you're gonna—No, I mean yes! Shut up Renji." Renji raised his brows, and then looked back at the box.

Rukia reached out to shake Ichigo awake, but when she did something grabbed her arm. She quickly looked down to see what it was. It was Ichigo's hand.

"Ichigo? You awake?" He didn't move for a second. His grip on Rukia's arm tightened. "Ow! Ichigo!" Renji looked up at that.

"What…?" Rukia struggled, trying to get out of his grasp. Renji tried to help her out by prying Ichigo's hand off her, but in response to that, Ichigo grabbed the closest thing that was arms length, on Renji, which just happened to be his neck. Renji pulled on his arm to make him release, but the grip tightened, Rukia's too, making her loose feeling in her arm.

"Ichi…go? W-what the hell? L-let go!" Renji managed to whisper out.

They were both helpless to do anything. After all, Ichigo was strong. But this was different. He usually has a firm grip on people. This one wasn't. It was more like a death grip, especially on Renji. In this case though, he wasn't choking him with a killer intent. He held his neck, but didn't press down far enough to cut off his air; it gave him just enough to keep his heart going.

Suddenly, Ichigo raised his head. They watched, still struggling. He had a crazy smile on his face. Since he doesn't smile often, something was wrong. And his eyes. They weren't the scowling brown eyes he always had. They were darkened and his irises were yellow. Was that his hollow?

They looked at him in awe. They never saw Ichigo's hollow half like this. When his mask was on maybe, but he had full control. There was no mask to be seen here.

He looked at the two in his hands. His smile faded a bit, getting a serious look on his face.

"Hmm. Sorry," He said with a normal "Ichigo" smile, "you're not the ones I was looking for."

That wasn't Ichigo's normal voice. It sounded like it had gotten deeper. It wasn't even close to his normal voice. It sounded more forceful, and had a type of bite to it. At the same time, it sounded calm and relaxed.

After he said that, he let out a small laugh, released his grip on the two, and stood up.

Renji fell to his knees, holding his neck. There wasn't that much damage done. Rukia made a few steps back, putting her hand on her arm where Ichigo was holding her. There was an imprint of his fingers on her. She shook it to get the blood circulating again.

Ichigo stretched, and looked around, ignoring the two he just released.

"Well, this probably isn't even the right place." Rukia looked at him, backing up slowly.

"I-Ichigo? Are you...?" He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, not moving. The stare felt like it was burning straight through her. She broke out in a cold sweat.

He walked over to Rukia casually. She wanted to back up more, but something kept her from doing so. He looked her in the eyes, and started talking.

"Tell me, where are we?" He said, ignoring her question.

Rukia couldn't concentrate with those eyes staring at her. She wasn't afraid of them, but it brought up bad memories from long ago. It reminded her of Kaien. Would she have to attack him like she did Kaien? She wasn't in soul reaper form so if something were to happen, she was helpless. She was silently praying that nothing would happen though.

Rukia couldn't speak at the moment. She had words to say, but she couldn't say them. Those eyes. It was as if they were scolding her from what she did long ago, despite the fact that they were staring at her with a calm and casual look.

When she finally felt she could speak, her voice came out shaking.

"W-well we-we're in-"

"Never mind. If you're going to say it like that then I don't want to hear it. This probably isn't the place I'm suppose to be in anyways." He sighed heavily and looked away from Rukia. "I guess I'll just have to wait. Until next time, my dear," he looked over to Renji and smiled, "and to you too, sir." The smile vanished from his young face once more and his eyes started to lighten up, back to what they were suppose to look like. There was a confused, yet rested look on his face.

Ichigo looked at the two familiar faces, trying to figure out what happened. His hands were hurting and he had a slight headache, but it wasn't really bothering him at the moment. They were both looking at him, a little caution.

"What?" He said.

"Are you... Ichigo?" Rukia asked, keeping her guard up.

"What do you mean "are you Ichigo?" I've been myself. Are you Rukia?" Rukia looked at him curiously. Everything turned back to normal, from what she could see, but you could never be too careful.

She looked at Renji. He was now sitting a couple inches away from Ichigo. He looked fine, but was giving a death glare to Ichigo. He was trying to fight the urge to punch him.

"Wait, Rukia? Why are you here in the first place?"

"Shouldn't we be asking you that?"

Why was Ichigo there? He knew he was in the park talking to someone. Someone? Who was this someone? Everything was so hazy, he couldn't remember the details that well.

"I don't know. I remember fighting a hollow... I guess that's why I'm here." He looked at Renji, who was still giving him the death glare. "What's up with that look, Renji?" Ichigo had the urge to smile for some reason, but tried not to.

Renji blinked and looked away. "Nothing."

Ichigo took a step away from Rukia, wobbling a bit. He felt like he was going to fall over.

"Back to my question," Ichigo said, "why are you here?"

"We'll tell you tomorrow." Rukia replied smiling.

"Why not-"

"Tomorrow." Ichigo gave an angry stare to Rukia, she just smiled, pushing Renji to his feet. "Anyway, isn't it getting late?"

Ichigo looked around him. It was getting pretty dark. The street lights were on in fact. "Crap!"

"You should be fine," Renji said, "that mod soul was in your body right? Then he should be covering for you."

Ichigo calmed down with that. He turned in the direction of his house and walked off.

"Ichigo! where are you going?" Rukia called out.

"Home. I'm not tired, but I still need to go there because I have no idea what Kon has been doing to my body."

"Oh. But-"

"No."

"Why not?" Ichigo stopped walking and turned around.

"I don't have enough room for the two of you. You maybe, but not Renji; and I don't think it would be fair if I let you in and not Renji."

"Please?" Rukia gave Ichigo a sad look. He didn't fall for stuff like this. Maybe with his sisters, and small children, but not with anyone else older. Especially someone like Rukia. She's like over 1,000 years old.

"Uh..."Before Ichigo could say anything else, Rukia was already headed into the direction of Ichigo's house.

"Come on you slowpokes!" Renji and Ichigo looked at each other while Rukia was looking back waving at them.

"You little...!" Ichigo gave a big sigh and followed her, Renji following him.

...

They arrived at the Kurosaki residence. Ichigo walked onto the small porch and grabbed the door knob. He turned it a few times, then started beating it furiously.

"The hell Ichigo?" Renji and Rukia gave him weird stares.

Ichigo blew out loudly and turned to the duo.

"What's wrong."

Ichigo looked up, rubbing his head. "It's locked..." The two glared at him. "It's not my fault. I don't have the keys, they're in my jeans." Ichigo did a patting gesture toward his pants.

"Nice." Renji said sarcastically.

Ichigo walked off the porch. He looked up at the darkened house. There was a light on in his room, probably meaning that Kon was still up, or... He smacked his head with half the force he would if he was hitting someone, trying to get the thought out of his head.

"What now?" Rukia asked.

"Nothing, nothing. Look, I'll climb through my window and unlock the door from the inside."

"Why can't we just follow you up?"

"What if the neighbors saw you? Two suspicious figures climbing through a teens window in the cover of darkness."

Rukia didn't say anything, defeated.

"And you tell me to use my head." Ichigo jumped up to his window. The curtains were drawn, so he couldn't see in completely. There was a tiny opening where the two curtain pieces met. He looked through to see Kon sitting on the chair at his desk. He was listening to Ichigo's I-pod, reading something. It looked like a magazine from where he could see. Kon was flipping through it happily, bobbing his head to the beat of what ever song he was listening to. He did something with the I-pod and took out the earplugs, setting them down on the desk. He then continued looking at the magazine.

Ichigo knocked on the window, trying to get his attention. Kon looked up, staring at the window. He slowly walked over and moved the curtains out of the way, to see Ichigo sitting on the roof.

"Oh, your back," Kon opened the window for him.

"Yeah." Ichigo jumped through, landing quietly on the bedroom floor. He then walked over to his bed, picking up the stuffed lion. Kon looked kind of disappointed with that movement. Ichigo didn't care though, all he wanted was to be in his real body. Not his spiritual one.

He went through his pockets, looking for his badge. He couldn't just shove his hand down his throat to get the pill out, he's never done that before, anyway. He thought to when he last had it. He knew he had it in the park. "Damn it!" He said in frustration.

"Calm down," Kon insisted, "what are you looking for?"

"My badge," Ichigo kept patting his pockets, and shaking his uniform's pants legs to see if it somehow got in them.

Kon gave him a blank stare and walked up to the frustrated teen. He extended his arm and patted Ichigo's chest. Then he pushed him a bit, walking back to his spot on the floor.

Ichigo took a few steps back, then looked at the spot Kon just touched. He reached in his shirt and pulled out his badge. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at it curiously.

"Why does this thing keep ending up right here? I didn't put it here the last time I had it."

"Maybe you're just forgetting that you are putting it there." Ichigo sighed and tapped Kon with his badge. The pill popped out and into Ichigo's hand, his body falling on his bed. He then pushed the mod soul into the stuffed plush toy. Setting it down, he went to his body and fused back into it. They both blinked and stretched. Now back in his body, Ichigo walked out of his room and down the stairs as quietly as possible.

He finally made it to the front door without making a sound. He turned the lock and opened the door quietly. The two walked in the dark living room. Ichigo closed the door behind them and motioned for them to walk up the stairs. Since they couldn't see this, they stood there looking around. Ichigo could see their figures in the dark pretty well because the moonlight was reflecting off the window in the kitchen.

"Where's the lights?" Renji practically shouted.

"Shhh!" Rukia and Ichigo shushed at the same time. Ichigo turned a bit to dim the lights in the room to satisfy Renji.

The two looked around the small living room.

"Happy?" Ichigo asked? Renji gave a sarcastic smile."Okay," He said, heading up the stairs, his head turned toward them, "let's go before-"

"You're LATE!" Isshin interrupted, kicking Ichigo back down the stairs, Isshin going down with him. Rukia and Renji jumped.

"Ah! What the hell? I wasn't! I was in my room the whole time, except for now!"

That was pretty much a lie. Ichigo was out fighting a hollow so he wasn't in his room at all. When he got home from school he was there, but after his badge lit up, he was gone. Kon was covering for him, but his dad shouldn't know about that.

"Yeah, except for now, which makes you late!" Isshin jumped up and pulled Ichigo to his feet and threw him over one of the couches in the room. Ichigo got up and they both stared each other down.

"I was just helping my friends find a place to stay for the night. I was in the house." Isshin looked over at Rukia and Renji. His eyes started to sparkle.

"Rukia! My third daughter! You've returned to me!" He leaped over toward her, trying to give her a hug. Ichigo punch him out of the way before he could even touch her. He went flying into the kitchen, hitting the table.

"Ichigo! Why do you have to be so mean to me! She was waiting for a well needed hug!" Isshin shouted.

"No! The hell? Shut up! You're gonna wake Yuzu and Karin up!"

"Too late..." Karin said lazily. Yuzu was right behind her rubbing her eyes. It wasn't that bright in the room, so it helped their eyes, somewhat.

"See what you did, ICHIGO!" Isshin gave him a foot to the face, making Ichigo slide into the front door. He quickly jumped up and pushed Isshin away from him.

"Don't pin this on me! You're the one shouting!" Ichigo dove onto his dad showering him with punches. Isshin retaliated with some, too, making them roll on the floor hitting each other in different ways.

Karin and Yuzu walked down the stairs, over to where Rukia and Renji were standing and watching the fight. Yuzu flung herself into Rukia, saying she was happy she came back. Rukia hugged back, smiling. Karin stood beside Renji, just staring at him.

"What?" He questioned.

"Nothing. I like your tattoos." Karin answered.

"Uh... Thanks"

The fight continued. The two were practically jumping from wall to wall trying to beat one another. There was no clear winner in this foolish fight. The house was taking a big tole though.

"Get off me!" Ichigo yelled. "There shouldn't be this much activity this late!" He pushed his father off him with his feet, making Isshin hit the stairs. Ichigo got up and dusted himself off, glaring at his dad.

"Well maybe if you didn't come home late, this wouldn't of happened! But now I have to punish you!" Isshin jumped over one of the couches in the room and tryed to push Ichigo back down. Ichigo dodged and kicked his dad down.

"You two stop fighting!" Yuzu told them. They didn't listen though.

"Should we break this up?" Rukia asked.

"You could," Karin said, "but I think it's really interesting to watch. Strawberry and Goat chin, round 2 for the day." Rukia looked a little puzzled at her words. Karin was right though, they were interesting to watch.

"Now I know where Ichigo got his ability to fight." Renji said. "No wounder he doesn't train a lot." The two twins looked at Renji confused. He could tell what they were thinking. "Uh..."

"Yeah, that's why he can beat those people up who come after him on the street." Rukia improvised.

"Oh yeah! I know what you mean," Yuzu said, falling for it. "He comes home some days saying that he just got out of a fight. Hey don't break that! Dad, Ichigo, come on!" Everyone looked back at the two. Ichigo had picked up the living room table and started chasing his dad around the house. He held it over his head, but wasn't swinging it that much, only when he thought he could hit Isshin. They both took the chase into the kitchen.

"You guys!" Yuzu ran over to the kitchen door to see if the duo broke anything yet. They were actually avoiding anything breakable.

"Does it get like this a lot?" Renji looked at Karin.

"Everyday. He never gets a break, especially when he's late. It's like a daily routine."

"Oh," Renji looked up, not knowing what else to say. After a few more minutes of the "argument" they heard a crashing noise come from the kitchen.

"Damn it dad! Get off me!"

"Take it like a man, Ichigo! I raised you better!" Everyone walked over to the kitchen door to see what happened. Isshin was jumping on the the overturned table near the stove. Ichigo was under it, trying to get up. The four at the door didn't do anything about this. they just stood there, watching the free show.

When Isshin jumped up, Ichigo pushed the table up and slipped out, making Isshin slam into the table. Ichigo cracked his back and sat on a chair in the kitchen. He had enough.

"Ok that's enough you two!" Yuzu scolded them. They didn't argue with her or break anything but the living room table was in the kitchen, overturned.

...

After the table was returned to the right place in the house, Isshin brought up two medical beds from the clinic. One went in Ichigo's room and one went in the twin's room. Obviously Rukia would be placed in Yuzu and Karin's room and Renji in Ichigo's.

When everything was prepared for them, they went their separate ways, but Rukia went into Ichigo's room after his sisters went back to sleep. She made herself comfortable in his closet. Renji sat on his bed for the night and Ichigo laid on his, looking at the ceiling.

"So, you gonna tell me why you're here?" Ichigo asked.

"I said tomorrow, remember?" Rukia answered. Ichigo looked at his clock. It was 11:59pm. He waited, and when it hit 12 o'clock mid night he spoke.

"It's tomorrow, talk." Rukia closed the closet door after he said this. He glared bullets at the closed closet door. Ichigo looked at Renji, who shook his head. "Really?"

"Not my problem right now." Renji laid down. Knowing he wasn't going to get an answer now, Ichigo turned the light off in his room.

* * *

><p>Hope this wasn't too boring and worth the wait. Review please.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 4**

He walked out the closing doors onto an invisible surface in the new area he traveled to. This place was way different from Karakura. It looked like a village. The houses were somewhat in a type of hut form. They still looked like normal houses though, but most of them were run down. It didn't stop the people who populated this area from going in them though. It was probably the only place they could live. It looked like it was possible to make a living, because some food stands were set up around the place.

He jumped down onto a roof of one of the houses and watched the people. Most of them were kids, who were screaming and running around. Horse playing. A bunch of boys were chasing one another. The girls were playing with straw like dolls on the ground nearby. One blonde girl, about the age of six, ran by him, looked up, and waved at him with a smile. He did the same in response, making the girl jump for joy. She ran off afterward.

He looked to the right, to see a very large white gate. Inside was a very neat and clean place. Most of the roofs were a brownish orange color, and the base of the buildings were white. It looked better then a kings palace compared to its surroundings.

"Tch."

After observing the people for a while, he walked off into the forest behind the village. After wondering around aimlessly for about ten minutes, he came upon a trail. It looked like a normal trail you'd find at a park, a leafless, brown pathway to another part of the area. He followed it until he came across a house. This house was sitting on top of a small hill, which wasn't steep. There were all sorts of flowers surrounding this house. Red, blue, green, purple; any well-known color to man was there. The house its self was pretty well kept after. No holes or broken wood. Everything seemed to be intact.

He walked up to the door and pushed it open with little to no effort. It easily swung open and he walked inside, closing it after his body was in the house. It looked like a normal living space. No stove or sink, but there was a place to sleep and a table. The inside was as clean as the outside, no mess to be found. There were some shelves on the walls, which had either plants, or some type of fruit on it.

He walked over to one of the shelves, closest to the door, and put his hand on the wall. He slid his hand across the space. to the right, and the part of the wall he touched moved with him, revealing a button. He pressed it, suddenly hearing latches unlock. It sounded like a conveyer belt was moving somewhere nearby. The noise stopped and the place where the table was, started to open. The table disappeared into the opening. He walked closer and saw a spiral staircase leading under ground. He walked down them, putting his hands on the walls, feeling the smooth concrete. It got darker with every step, making the light from the above room fade away, soon making it impossible to see anything. When he got to the bottom and stepped off, the stairs retracted slowly. Taking his hands off the wall, he walked forward into the darkness. The lights dimmed and slowly got brighter until they couldn't go anymore. The lights revealed something that you probably couldn't find in the area above. There was technology everywhere. Computers, monitors, TVs, they all were there.

The room had two hallways in it. One on both sides of the underground lab. Each hall had windows going down the side of them, so you could see other rooms that branched off the halls. They cut off where the back of the big room was, but the halls keep going. The back wall had a row of bookcases on it. The shelves followed the wall up to the ceiling. There was a sliding ladder connected to the bookcase, so you could reach all the books, top and bottom. The shelves were filled with hundreds of books. There was no space not filled by a thick or slim book.

In the middle of the room there sat a large desk. It was shaped like a circle, but it wasn't a full one. It was facing the entrance, so that the open side was facing the bookcase. The desk had three computer screens sitting on it. They were on the left and right, and in the middle of the desk. Interestingly there was one keyboard. There wasn't a cord attached to the back of it so it probably was wireless. Above the desk hung five TV screens, which surrounded it. The largest of the five was set in front of the desk, closest to the ground. All the screens were turned off.

He walked over to them and typed something on the wireless keyboard. The screens turned blue and had the word "Welcome" on them. Then they all flashed and different pieces of information showed up on each one of them.

After he did this, he walked through the right hallway. There were a bunch of doors on his left and right. They looked endless. Each door he walked past had some type of color or number on it. Most of the lights were on in each room were on, but rarely there would be one where the room was pitch black.

He stopped at a door that had the number 27 on it, and looked in the small window. The room was dark. The lights weren't on in this room either. Apparently he could still see in the room, because he had a pleased look on his face.

Walking back to his desk in the main room, he sat in his spinning chair and spun around once, stopping at the computers and monitors.

"Looks like I have to wait a bit longer," he sighed, going to work on his technology. "This will be fun though."

...

Once Ichigo's eyes closed, he was out. He wasn't tired before he went to sleep though, but he did have a really good one.

Ichigo rolled over, trying to get in a new position. While doing this he heard an echo. His bed didn't make that kind of sound. This probably wasn't his bed, though. It wasn't soft like it anyway, and it didn't echo. Did someone move him while he was sleeping? If someone did, then where was he? You can't really hear any echos in his house. Maybe he was in a store. He didn't really care though because if he was, someone would have woken him up by now.

He rolled in the opposite direction, hitting something. Without opening his eyes, he touched the object he hit, trying to move it. It didn't budge, so he just ignored it.

A few minutes later, he heard another echo. This time in the form of footsteps. They were slow, but were there. They kept getting louder until they stopped, somewhere in front of Ichigo.

"Ichigo." The voice echoed. It was quite deep and familiar. Ichigo laid on his back and opened his eyes. He saw a tall, from his view on the floor, man standing at his head. He was towering over him, watching him through his darkened glasses. He was holding something in his hand.

"Zangetsu?" Ichigo got up from the floor, or building now knowing what it is. "What happened now? I don't usually get pulled here not unless something dire happened or is happening."

"Well," Zangetsu held up the object in his hand. Ichigo looked at it blankly for a while. It looked very familiar. he doesn't remember it but it looks familiar.

"What's with this?"

"I found it here sometime last night. I didn't want to call you here while you were awake."

"Last night, huh?" Ichigo took it from Zangetsu and examined it. He shook it, turned it upside down, tapped it, anything to check it out. It wasn't heavy at all. "What's in it?"

"I didn't open it; it was probably meant for you though."

"Oh..." Ichigo looked at Zangetsu. He was looking at the object in Ichigo's hands eagerly, or what he thought was eagerly. He couldn't really see his eyes.

"Did he open it yet?" An unwanted yet familiar voice came from behind Zangetsu. Ichigo's hollow walked out from behind, after saying that. He smiled at Ichigo. "What's up, King?" He chuckled a bit.

"What are you doing here?"

"Can't a guy be curious? Your sword didn't want to open it, so I had to wait for you."

"I thought I suppressed you or something."

"I said I would come back. didn't I?" He did remember his hollow saying that. Right before he vanished that day. It hasn't been that long since that day, he thought the suppression would be longer. This wasn't why Ichigo was here though.

"Whatever." Ichigo opened the black box, putting the top under it so he wouldn't have to hold it. He looked in with an unimpressed stare. "What the hell? There's nothing in here."

"Well that was suspense filled." Hollow Ichigo took the box out of Ichigo's hands. He shoved his hand inside it, trying to pull something out, apparently ending up with nothing. "Now that was a waste of my time." He threw the useless object back at his king and started to walk away. Ichigo caught it, surprisingly. He really wanted to throw it back at him, but if his hollow decided to take that as a challenge, he wasn't a soul reaper at the moment so it probably wouldn't turn out to well. All he could do was grip the box harder.

His hollow sat on a building next to the one Zangetsu and Ichigo was standing on. He laid down lazily and looked at the endless clouds floating in this world.

"Is this normal? Is it possible stuff like this can get into inner worlds? Human world objects?"

"I haven't heard of stuff like this happening before." Zangetsu's voice echoed. They were silent for a minute or two.

"You're not exactly normal. A human having soul reaper powers, not normal. A human soul reaper having a hollow inside him, even more not normal. You're vulnerable partner. Crap like this probably would be expected for you, which makes you a tad bit more interesting." His hollow kept staring at the sky while speaking.

Ichigo didn't know whether to take it as a complement or not. His hollow thought he was more interesting. Coming from him, it was probably not meant to be one. What he said was true though. Ichigo wasn't really normal, so stuff like this would be normal to him and no other.

"Well," Ichigo said holding the box out for Zangetsu to grab, "I guess I'll go now."

"Very well."

"By the way, if you want to, you can look into studying the box more. If you have nothing else to do. I'll go to Kisuke sometime today, if possible, to figure out what's going on, so you don't have to do it if you don't want to." Zangetsu nodded.

Hollow Ichigo sat up from where he was laying. "Bye, King."Ichigo didn't say anything to him. Just looked at him. That was his goodbye to his hollow.

...

As much as he wanted to, the teen couldn't sleep after that. It made him think, what would happen to him this time. Nothing out of personality has happened to him yet, that he knows of. Maybe it was just a prank by the the beings living in him. He wouldn't know. Why was his hollow there, also? Usually you'd have to summon him somehow to get him there. He just didn't pop up there when he felt like it. Zangetsu didn't say anything about summoning him there beforehand, so...

"Ah..." Ichigo ruffled his hair, sitting up in his bed. He couldn't wrap his head around the situation. One thing led to another, so if he kept thinking, he'd probably be at something that didn't even relate to the subject.

He looked around his room. It was still dark, but the sun was coming up, so he could still see the objects in his room. He saw Renji lounging in his bed, but his eyes were closed, which made Ichigo believe that he was still sleeping. As for Rukia, he couldn't tell. The door to her usual bed was closed. Maybe she was asleep too. He didn't want to open the door and find out if she's awake or not. She'd probably hit him a couple of times if she was.

Ichigo looked out the window. It was a beautiful sunrise. Everything the sun light hit was a red-ish orange color, which touched the setting he saw perfectly. He never really had an eye for things like this, but he was sure that everyone who saw this would love it. After staring at this piece of work, he looked at the clock, 7:00 AM. What was Ichigo going to do for about two or three hours? He had a lot of options. He could wake Renji up, think more about this box, get something to eat, take a walk, go to sleep. He had countless things to do.

Laying back down, Ichigo looked up at the ceiling and thought more. _Why do I keep thinking about that damn box? It's not about the part where it randomly popped up in my inner world, it's just... Where? Where did I see it last? _Ichigo thought long and hard on this subject. Though, he couldn't come up with anything. Was he missing something? When he was in the park with Renji and Rukia, he felt like something was missing. Maybe he lost some part of his memory. Nothing was out of place though. _Maybe I'm thinking to hard about this. It probably is so simple that I over looked something. Something feels like it's missing. What is it? _Ichigo slapped his forehead, trying to figure this out. He must of did it pretty hard, because he saw Renji twitch. He didn't wake up though.

_I shouldn't let this get to me._ Ichigo thought to himself, putting his blanket over his head. _I'll ask Urahara about this like I said I would._

...

Ichigo opened his eyes and moved the covers off his face. He must have dozed off, because it was a lot brighter in his room then before. It looked to be about 9:00.

He saw Rukia and Renji at the closet, looking at their soul pagers. They weren't talking, just clicking away on their phones. Rukia looked up to see Ichigo sitting up in his bed.

"Good morning Ichigo!" She said with a smile.

"Yeah," He said lazily. This caught Renji's attention.

"Wow, even when you get up in the mornings your hair doesn't change." Renji joked.

"Shut up!" Renji chuckled. Ichigo stood up and stretched. "So," he started, "now are you going to tell me why you're here? It's tomorrow." Rukia sighed.

"Yup. Well, my mission was to bring you back to the Soul Society." Ichigo narrowed his eyes at her. "Your not in trouble. You'd be like a guest of honor. You see, tomorrow is a very important day that everyone in the Soul Society celebrates. It hasn't been missed for over 100 years."

"And this day is..."

"Well, it's not really a day, more like a week but we call it a day. Lieutenant's Day is what it's called. I am suppose to bring you back to celebrate it, but Renji figured out I was going and wanted to tag along."

"So the Soul Society is inviting me to stay there for a week to celebrate this 'Lieutenant's Day' tomorrow?"

"Pretty much. In reality, we wouldn't of even considered coming to get you, but Rukia's captain needed a favor from you." Renji added.

"That's nice of the Soul Society," Ichigo said sarcastically.

"Hey, you should be honored a captain needs you for an important job. He just thought of this a few weeks ago." Rukia told.

"Yeah, whatever. So, what's this Lieutenant's Day all about? To me it just sounds like you're celebrating the lieutenants for a week."

"That's it mainly. But there's more to it then that. To understand this holiday, you must know how it started. So we have to explain to you how Captain Appreciation Week started."

"So many things to be celebrated. What is there a Substitute Soul Reaper Day too?"

"Stop joking around and listen," Renji said. "The whole thing started when the Court Guard Squads first started. The Head Captain was thankful to have a strong work force under him. So naturally he'd want to reward them with some type of thanks. He talked about it with his lieutenant to see what he could do, or what was possible. There was still the Central 46 he had to go to, to confirm any big thing he wanted. He didn't have any special privileges just because he was the Head Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads."

"Eventually, he and his lieutenant came up with something, and Captain Yamamoto went to the Central 46. He asked to have some type of day that would commemorate the captains excluding himself. Like a day off for about a week, so they can relax from all the hard work they've done. For this week, the captains could do anything they wanted, that wasn't breaking the laws. They would come into their office, but not do any paper work. They were free to do anything. But if something dire were to happen, then they would have to jump into action and help. Other then that, the lieutenants would have to do their work, and their captains work for a week. The Central 46 couldn't decide on an answer. It sounded like a good plan but they needed to think it through. They said they would call him back when the decision was decided." Renji took a breathe.

"It was about a week before he heard anything back from the Central 46. He was summoned back there to hear the answer. They decided that it was valid and wanted to see it through. They wanted to see if any trouble would come of doing this. So this was mainly a test drive. They said that this would start next week, or in two days. If it were to work out, the week would be called Captain Appreciation Week and it would be celebrated every year on the first Monday of September. The Head Captain thanked the Central 46 and held a Captains Meeting right after to tell them the news. It was mandatory for all the captains to be there, if they couldn't make it, then their lieutenant would replace them for that meeting. He shared the news with them and all of the captains liked the idea. When the week started, the Head Captain wandered around the Soul Society to see how things were going. The Captains were enjoying the week. Their lieutenants on the other hand, were working their butts off trying to finish their work. Captain Yamamoto saw this in several squad offices. Some captains were helping because they had nothing else to do, but other then that, they had their hands full."

"Seeing this," Rukia explained, "Captain Yamamoto's heart sank a little. He didn't know some captains had this much work to be filled out. After going around and visiting everyone, he sat down and thought about something that would give the lieutenants a break. Seeming that the captains got a week, why couldn't the lieutenants get a week? Captain Yamamoto realized that the assistant captains play a major part in keeping the squad together like the captains so he wanted to give them something special. He thought about the terms for the lieutenants and went back to the Central 46 a few weeks later. The conditions for this week off was that instead of them just getting a day off and the captains having to do their work, the lieutenants would actually become captains, for the week only. They'd have full responsibilities of their squad. In addition to this, the captains have to be their lieutenants. Their work would be swapped though."

"The Central 46 really had to think about this one. Switching spots for a week was crazy to the members. Captain Yamamoto had to include the dire actions rule like last time. The members mainly had a riot about this. One of them though, liked this idea. It took a while, but this lone member convinced everyone that this could be a good test for the lieutenants. Like last time, the Head Captain had to wait for a response. They agreed to this week as well but some of them still opposed. This would be called Lieutenant's Day and celebrated on the last week of September starting on a Monday."

"Why not Lieutenant's Week?" Ichigo interupted.

"Because they thought day sounded better. Anyways, this holiday made all the assistant captains happy and thankful. The week went great, according to the Head Captain. So this week is still celebrated today."

"Instead of explaining this all to me, you could of just said that Lieutenant's Day came from Captain Appreciation Week, because the lieutenants were doing so much for the captains. I'm not that slow." Rukia and Renji looked at each other. Ichigo was sitting on his chair now, watching the two.

"It had to be explained anyways!" Rukia shouted.

"Sure."

"Anyways, because my captain doesn't have a lieutenant, he wanted to see how it was for a change to be under one. So he thought that you would want to be the captain of Squad 13 for a week. It's not a hard job, take it from Renji."

"It's not, you just have to know what a captain does."

Ichigo really didn't feel like going to the Soul Society. He had his own problems to think about at the moment. But he didn't want to let Ukitake down. He was a nice person, and didn't want to just tell him he wasn't interested. What could he do?

"Fine, I'll do it. But I need to talk to Urahara about something before we go." Ichigo agreed.

"Good!" Rukia smiled.

"Why do you need to see Urahara? Something wrong?" Renji asked.

"I don't know. Ever since last night, I've felt like something was misplaced. I can't put my finger on it."

This made the duo think back to when they were at the park. They never told Ichigo about what happened to him. They didn't know how to say it. Now would probably be a good time to tell him, seeming how Ichigo brought up the subject.

"We might know the answer to that." Rukia said. "Yesterday in the park, where we found you, you looked like you were sleeping. We tried to wake you up, but when we did you weren't yourself. It was like, it wasn't even you, like someone used your body as some type of medium."

This didn't surprise him that much. His hollow could have just decided to take over at that time. That could explain why his hollow was in his inner world too.

"It could of been my hollow. Did you see a mask?"

"No. Your eyes were like a hollow's and the voice was deeper then your's but there was no mask."

This got Ichigo thinking. His hollow doesn't have a deep voice. Zangetsu, on the other hand did, but that was his zanpakuto. The only thing he knew that Zangetsu could do was speak to him and lend him his power. Not take over bodies. This could have something to do with,

"The box," Ichigo thought aloud.

"The box? What...?" Renji remembered the 3D square sitting by Ichigo yesterday. Now that they're talking about it, where was it? Did they leave it at the park?

"Zangetsu found a black box yesterday, and showed it to me this morning. I don't know what it means, but it could have something to do with all this. But when I opened it, nothing was in there. It was empty."

"This was in your inner world? How could it have gotten in there? It was outside your body the last time we saw it." Renji said.

"It was outside...? You mean I had it before I found it?"

"If we're talking about the right box, then yeah"

"Well this somewhat made what I was thinking more clear. Still, I need to go see Kisuke."

* * *

><p>Review please!<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 5**

After breakfast, the trio set out for the Urahara Shoten. It wasn't that far from the Kurosaki Clinic, but they took a slight detour. Yuzu made a big breakfast for Rukia and Renji. It was like a buffet. There was a lot to choose from like bacon, eggs, pancakes, waffles, toast, and biscuits. There was also fruit on the table like pineapples, strawberries, lemons, oranges and blueberries. They surprisingly ate a lot. They got seconds or maybe thirds. The two really loved Yuzu's cooking. Ichigo, on the other hand, didn't eat that much. He was hungry but not starving.

They took the long way to walk off the food they just ate. The two were really stuffed.

They past a lot of things that got Renji and Rukia's attention. Even though they've been in the World of the Living before, some things have changed. Rukia would always stop at a store window to see what's being sold. Most of the stores she looked in were clothing stores. Renji and Ichigo weren't really interested in them, so they kept walking. This repeated countless times until they had to drag her away from them.

While they were walking, Ichigo heard something. It was faint, but he heard something. It sounded like a laugh. Ichigo looked around to see if anyone was smiling or laughing in the crowd of people. There wasn't anyone. The laughter started sounding like muffles, as if someone was trying to talk with a hand over their mouth. He tried to ignore it, but it kept getting louder until-

_"Ichigo Kurosaki. Can you hear me now?" _Ichigo stopped. Rukia and Renji didn't notice he had stopped yet. _"It seems I've finally gotten your attention_. _Good." _Ichigo felt someone smile inside him.

This was defiantly not Ichigo's hollow. The voice was too deep. It wasn't Zangetsu's voice either, despite the voice level. This was probably what Rukia and Renji were talking about.

Ichigo wanted to say something, but found it impossible to. All he could do was stand there and listen. The two walking in front of Ichigo finally noticed he had stopped and walked back over to him. The one person conversation continued.

"_I thought you'd be more surprised to hear me, but it should be expected. You've got a hollow who speaks to you once in a while. At least you didn't scream. I hate it when people do that. I know what your thinking, 'who is this person talking to me right now?' Or should I say what? I think now would be a good time to introduce myself since I'm on the subject. My name is Ren. A pleasure to meet you, Ichigo."_ Still not able to do anything, Ichigo stood there, listening. _"I'm speaking to you now to make my presence known. Also to warn you about something. What's this you ask? Well, all I'll say is that you probably shouldn't get too close to a certain kid. Trust is the easiest thing to manipulate, isn't it? I'll also tell you this, If you decide to not heed my warning, there will be one less kid on this planet._ Also to make it more fun, I wont reveal the name._" _

Ichigo's eyes widened with that. If this Ren person could talk to him like his hollow, most likely he could control Ichigo's body. Which means if Ichigo gets close to this kid he's talking about, then... This isn't good.

Rukia was shaking him now, worried. It looked like Ichigo was staring off into space. He wasn't though. Ichigo's surroundings were darkening. By now, he couldn't see anything but black. While this conversation was going on, He started to see something move in the darkness. It was like a figure, moving closer and closer toward him. He could see hollow like eyes staring at him as it moved. He really did want to move, but couldn't. It was like he was locked in place. From Renji and Rukia's perspective, they could see a terrified look on his face, making Rukia shake him more. This wasn't helping Ichigo at all though.

_"I think you've figured out what will happen if you do. Personally, I don't want to do it either, but I have orders to do so. Really, my goal isn't to do it to the kid, but it's only if he gets in my way. Other then that, I have no business with him. On the other hand, I could just kidnap him and take him to my boss. At any rate, don't let him get too involved with you. His fate is sealed if you do." _The voice sighed. _"Looks like my time is up. This should be the last time I talk to you, under these circumstances anyway. Nice having this talk, Ichigo. Don't forget what I said. Edge it into your memory so you won't forget. And by the way, there are loopholes to what I am saying, if you can figure them out, then the kid is safe. Why did I just give you that one hint? Because, this kid was very close to me, and I don't want anything bad to happen to him. Just remember that." _Ichigo heard the voice fade, and saw the dark space, he was supposedly in, vanish. Being released from this unknown power, Ichigo gasped, and looked around still wearing the terrified look on his face. He could hear Rukia and Renji yelling at him now.

"Ichigo! You okay? Hey!" Renji shouted.

"Hmm? What?" Ichigo felt the expression he had on his face and tried to change it into a somewhat normal look.

"What just happened? Why'd you stop?" Rukia said.

There was a pause. Ichigo was trying to gather himself after what just happened.

"You know that 'someone' that you were talking about? The one in the park? Well, I just got to meet him."

The two couldn't find anything to say about that. He just met the guy who almost killed them in the park. How could they respond to it?

"Let's hurry up and go to Urahara, before anything else happens." Rukia recommended.

"What are the odds that he knows the solution to this?" Renji asked.

"He knew about most of my problems so far, so maybe he knows what's happening now. Even if he doesn't, I still need to ask him if outside objects can get in your inner world. I at least need to know that much, then we'll work from there." Ichigo started walking, making the others walk with him.

Ichigo couldn't take his mind off this anymore. He felt like his personal space was violated. How could Ren read what he wanted to say? Was he reading his thoughts? Is that really possible? This was making Ichigo think over time. _If this little black box somehow held this guy in there, then opening it must have let him out. But he talked to Rukia and Renji yesterday_. _This makes no sense. _His mind was racing with questions that he couldn't answer.

While they were walking, something caught their ears. It wasn't pleasant, but it couldn't be ignored. Somewhere behind them they heard a cry for help. They turned around to see what was going on.

Running around a corner was a kid, shouting at people to move. They just ignored him and kept doing what they were doing before he came. He seemed like he was running away from something, but nothing was behind him at the moment. They soon figured out what it was though. A couple of yards away from the boy, was a small hollow. It was about the size of a full grown bear, and it wore a mask that looked like a lizard head. The hollow didn't have a tail, but it was a dark blue color.

"Now?" Ichigo got his combat pass out of his pocket. He put it to his chest and became a soul reaper.

"Don't be reckless Ichigo. Be careful!" Rukia yelled to the teenage soul reaper.

"It doesn't look that tough. Just, get the kid." Ichigo ran past the small boy and took his sword out. He quickly jumped in the air to come down on the hollows head to finish it quickly. The hollow saw this and moved out of the way, letting Ichigo's sword hit the concrete.

...

The boy was still running when Renji and Rukia got to him. The two stood in front of him to make him stop.

The kid had semi long hair. It cut off at his shoulders and was a dark brown. His hair was spiked, but not by a lot. He wore a green short sleeve shirt and shorts that were jeans. He also had a necklace, but it was unreadable because it was bouncing around to much.

"You need to move or the hollow will get you!" He said trying to get through the two.

"It's not going to get you now. Someone is killing it right now, so you don't have to worry." Rukia said.

"Wait, how do you know about hollows?" Renji asked.

"I should say the same for you. I suppose your soul reapers then. I'm not a soul reaper but I knew one. That's how I know."

They were shocked that a human knew about them, but people can know a lot. The two couldn't couldn't put their finger on what they wanted to say next.

...

Ichigo kept chasing the hollow around. He couldn't catch it, and his long ranged attacks wouldn't work. The thing was fast. Every time Ichigo would get close to it, it would jolt the other way to evade his attacks. This was really getting on his nerves.

"Damn it! Stay still." Ichigo flash stepped in front of the hollow and quickly came down on its mask. It didn't have time to move, so its mask cracked and the small hollow vanished. The teen gave a sigh and walked over to his friend.

...

"Here comes your friend," the boy waved over to him happily."Hey! Hi thanks for getting rid of the hollow! I don't know how long I could of lasted if you didn't come along. My legs started to hurt."

Ichigo walked over to his lifeless body and picked it up, getting back in it. "Yeah, it's my job to do that. How do you know about hollows and soul reapers?"

"I knew a soul reaper once,... That's how I know. Anyways I'm grateful. I get chased by them a lot, and usually have to either out run them, or wait 'till a soul reaper comes to save me. Though, no one comes to help me. They just think I'm playing around and running from an unknown invisible force. You are the first people to actually help me."

Somewhere inside of Ichigo, he felt satisfied. He didn't know why though. Killing hollows don't really satisfy him, so why did he feel like this? Maybe it was because this child found people who helped him for the first time. Who knows.

"Your welcome." Rukia responded.

"By the way, my name is Katsuya. What are yours?"

"Mines Rukia Kuchiki, that's Renji Abarai, and the one with the orange hair is Ichigo Kurosaki." Katsuya smiled.

"Ki, Pineapple, and Ichi. Nice to meet you!.

"Ki?" Rukia gave a sympathetic sigh.

"P-Pineapple? What the, no way!" Renji really didn't like his nickname.

"I couldn't think of anything else. I'm sorry, I didn't want to call you Ren, because one of my friends has that name. And speaking of Ren..." Katsuya trailed off for a second. He turned his back to the three and thought.

Could this be the Ren that was talking to Ichigo earlier? It was a slight possibility it could be, but there could be a lot of other people named Ren. Katsuya could be talking about anyone. The Ren inside Ichigo, however, was talking about a kid earlier. Could this be the kid he was talking about? The only way to figure out was to ask.

"I want to repay you for what you did. I know what you think you did was natural and doesn't need to be repaid, but I feel that I have to. So I'll do it right now." Katsuya turned back around and looked at Ichigo. "I'll give you information about your little problem. Is there a place where we could talk without a lot of people around?"

The three were at a loose for words, especially Ichigo. This must be the kid Ren was talking about. If Katsuya is going to talk about the box problem with them, then there's no doubt. Maybe They could deal with the problem before they went to the Soul Society.

"We were headed to the Urahara Shoten a few minutes ago, so maybe we could go there. We could still ask Kisuke for help if needed." Ichigo said.

"Splendid! Let's go!" Katsuya jumped in the air and grabbed Renji and Ichigo's wrists. He was surprisingly strong. He pulled the two behind him as they walked toward Urahara's shop.

...

When they arrived, Urahara was outside, lounging on a lawn chair. His hat was over his face which led everyone to believe his was sleeping.

"MR. SALESMAN!" Katsuya yelled, jumping on Urahara. Instead of a surprised yelp, there was a popping sound. Katsuya looked under him and saw that the man in the chair had popped. He looked at it in confusion.

"What the hell?" Renji said. Everyone looked at the lawn chair.

"Ah!" A voice came from inside the shop. "Welcome you four!" Walking out of the shop was Urahara. He looked like he just woke up. His hair was messed up, but his hair always looked like that so no one could really tell. "I was seeing if anyone would notice that that was my portable gigai. I didn't think of anyone popping it though. Especially a kid.

"Yay! I didn't kill the salesman!" Katsuya jumped from the lawn chair to the reall Urahara, making him fall over.

"Uh, whose this kid?" Urahara asked the trio standing in front of him. Katsuya looked at the man under him and smiled.

"My name is Katsuya. You must be the store owner, , right? Nice to meet you! I was wondering if me and my friends could talk business in your shop! It's okay right?

"You sure do talk a lot." Renji said.

"Sorry, habit."

Katsuya got off Urahara and helped him stand up, despite his size. Dusting himself off, Kisuke turned and walked into his shop, motioning for the others to follow him.

"I was expecting you all, so please come in." The group followed him in to the room they always sit and talk in. When everyone got situated, Tessai brought in tea for everyone. After that he left.

"I felt some odd spiritual pressure yesterday, which led me to believe you all would be coming to ask me about it, but it seems like there's a different problem here."

"Odd spiritual pressure? I didn't sense anything weird yesterday. There was an unusually hard to beat hollow in the park, but nothing else felt odd." Ichigo said.

"When we got here, everything seemed normal, besides the wreckage in the park." Rukia added.

"Maybe it was because you were more focused on the hollow, Ichigo. Little things like this could be over looked. The hollow could have been sent out by someone to distract you from detecting this other presence. That's my theory. And for Rukia and Renji, they probably got to the scene after this happened."

"That's probably correct." Katsuya said.

"Before we get into this part, What's this business you needed to talk about?"

"The business," Katsuya said, "has to do with what we're talking about now. But like you said, we need to hear how this conflict started to get a better understanding of things before we get into this. So! Who saw the first problem yesterday? I need to hear this as well as the salesman."

Rukia took a sip of tea out of her cup, and began to speak. She told her part of the story of what happened to everyone. After her turn, Renji confirmed it. They gave more details to them then they did to Ichigo, which painted a picture in their minds.

"I see," Urahara thought for a second. "The only answer I can think of for the behavior is Ichigo's hollow, but without the proper traits, it can't be."

"Exactly! Have anything to say Ichi?"

Ichigo took a breathe and started telling them everything that happened from this morning up to when Ren started to talk to him. Hearing this gave Katsuya a clearer picture.

"Judging from what Ichi just said, I am now 100% positive that Ren is in him. Now for the long informational part! Let's start..." Katsuya started moving his finger around in the air. "Here!" He poked Ichigo in the chest, where his heart was. "Now, early this morning, Shu's box appeared in your inner world, correct?"

"Wait who's Shu?" Renji asked.

"He's my buddy from long time ago.. Or like a year ago. He was a very intelligent soul reaper. He was always preforming experiments, so that's how he created Ren. Between the time Ichi defeated the hollow who apparently was a lot stronger then normal and the time when he supposedly went to sleep in the park, he must have met Shu. Although, he shouldn't have any memory of this meeting. If Shu healed Ichi, then 50% of the time, that erases the memories of him. I don't know how that works, but he's done some weird experiments on himself, so he probably worked that little detail in somehow. You all following?"

Everyone nodded. Katsuya continued with his lecture.

"Back to what I was saying. When you opened the harmless box, you let Ren escape. Just by you, the owner of your body, opening that box, you broke the seal. It's like you gave permission to him to let him use your body as a power boost. You see? Despite the permission, he just planted himself in your inner world and now can control all your power. Ren is pretty strong by himself, but for some assignments, Shu thinks Ren needs a power boost. So he'll start a chat with a random soul reaper who looks pretty strong and give them his 'gift'. Usually just giving the person the gift would let Ren enter their inner worlds, but with Ichi, he has captain class fighting skills, so Shu uses something called the level of tolerance on people like him. It's like a game of follow the leader. Whatever Shu does with the box, the person he's trying to control will do the same. They don't realize they are doing this though. Usually the level he sets is one to five. He'll do something with his hands, like tap the box with his thumb, about five times, then pass his little gift to his victim. If his target taps his or her thumb on the box, lets say three times, then his or her level of tolerance is three. This number indicates how easy it'll be to regain control from Ren."

"So you're saying, that if Ren decided to take over right now, then, if I got a three, I'd have a 2 out of 5 chance of regaining control?" Ichigo gave him a concerned look.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You hit it right on the dot. The problem with this, is that Shu has never gotten lower then a five. So basically anyone who falls for his trap will not be able to get their body back until Shu or Ren feels like they want to return it to you. This might not be the case for Ichi though. Seeming how strong you are, you might have gotten a four. There's no way of knowing though."

Silence fell in the room. No one said a word. They were just thinking about what they wanted to say. Katsuya began once more.

"The only way to get Ren out is for either Shu to let him out, or for Shu to die. I'd rather him not die though, because he was the only other person who talked to me the day I ran from my former household. He's not a bad person. I guess something came up and he needed your help. I'm not sure why he didn't ask but... Back to the task at hand."

This was making Ichigo uncomfortable. He had to kill Shu in order to be released from Ren's control. Not unless he would willingly get Ren out. This wasn't looking good for him.

"Shu is most likely in the Soul Society. He has a hideout there. He moves occasionally so it will be pretty tough to find him. He's somewhere in the Rukon District. I know that place pretty well, so it shouldn't take that long to find him."

"How do you know your way around the Rukon District? Humans shouldn't be able to get to the Soul Society without being a real soul. How did you get there?" Urahara took a sip of his tea waiting for an answer.

"Shu brought some type of tech from his lab and gave it to me. It's my necklace really." He pointed to the necklace around his neck. It looked like a ring on some chain. They were both silver but very thin. "He said it has the power to let me open a Senkaimon and pass through like soul reapers do. He told me he gave it to me because if he needed me, I'm just a few minutes away. I forgot what it was called... It's on the tip of my tongue."

"A reishi converter?" Urahara suggested.

"That's it! Anyway, If we can find him, maybe we can see what's up with him putting Ren in Ichi. But I highly doubt, if this is some major plan of his, that he will remove him... Maybe by force. He's not the easiest person to get close to, despite how he acts to other people."

"We have to go to the Soul Society for Lieutenant's Day, so we're going to be in the Seireitei. I don't know how we're going to find Shu if we're there." Rukia said.

Katsuya thought about what Rukia just said. He made an uncomfortable face and looked at everyone.

"I think, you're falling into a trap. I mean if this happened to Ichi, then he's invited to the Soul Society, then what do you thinks going to happen? Yes it's for this Lieutenant's Day, but think. Even without the invite, this would take Ichi to the 'SS' anyway. He probably choose today to do this because he knew you'd go to assist whoever you're assisting. He did this so it wouldn't be detected. Like, if Ichi went to the Soul Society on other business besides this Lieutenant's Day, Ichi would look suspicious. It's a below the radar thing."

"That may be, but I still promised to help Ukitake so I'm still going. If something happens, then we'll just have to deal with it." Ichigo stood up and stretched.

"I suppose so. In that case, I'm going to. I'll use my Senkaimon and be in the Rukon District. I'll see you there, you don't have to look for me." Katsuya smiled and stood up. "I'll need an open area to use it though. Salesman?"

"Uh, yeah. Follow me. And stop calling me salesman." Urahara led Katsuya to the underground training area.

"How about candyman? Or clogs. I like your clogs actually. I want some. Have anymore?"

"Good luck Kisuke! He's a talker." Renji called to him.

* * *

><p>Chapter 5! ^^ Review please!<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 6**

Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji went back to the Kurosaki residence. Ichigo had to make up an excuse for leaving for a week. He didn't want to put Kon in his body because that spelled disaster. He's just going to have to function as a regular stuffed animal until he got back.

Entering the house, they saw Karin and Yuzu watching TV. It looked to be some little kids cartoon. Nothing him or the others would be interested in.

"Oh! Welcome home Ichigo, Rukia and Renji." Yuzu said, looking up at them. She then looked back at the TV. "I just love that bunny! It's so cute!"

"Bunny?" Rukia's eyes sparkled. She quickly jumped on the couch to see a small fluffy white baby bunny on the screen. It had a bow on its ear and small shoes on. It also had a pink ribbon in its tail. This made Rukia and Yuzu 'aw' at the same time. "It looks just like my chappy!" She got closer to the screen to get a better look.

"Ichigo! We should get a bunny! They're so cute." Yuzu suggested.

"Yeah, no. Where's dad?" Ichigo moved himself to see in the kitchen. He wanted to see if Isshin was in there.

"I don't know. Haven't seen him." Karin answered.

"I'm right here!" A voice came from behind Ichigo. He recognized the voice and quickly moved out of the way. "I'm not gonna hurt you, this time, boy! What is it that you want?"

Ichigo didn't think what he was going to say through very well. He thought it would be easy, but with it not thought out, it was pretty hard.

"Well you see," Ichigo started, "Rukia and Renji have this celebration to go to, and they wanted to repay me for putting up with them for a night, so they wanted to invite me to this celebration. It's only for a week, so I decided to take them up on that offer."

"Ichigo! You're always going off without us over the summer! Why can't we go with you?" Yuzu made a puppy dog face and stared at Ichigo.

"We probably wouldn't be interested in it anyways, so why bother?" Karin clicked to the next channel, which made Rukia get up and stand beside Renji, not interested in the channel she flipped to.

"Now Karin, I think it'll be fun!" Isshin said.

"No. They didn't invite you." Ichigo scowled at his father.

"Ichigo! Don't be like THAT!" Isshin kicked Ichigo in the back, sending him flying into the front door.

"Don't start you two!" Yuzu said angrily.

"I have to repay him for that little kick though, you think that'll be ok Yuzu?" Ichigo got up and punched Isshin in the face. Taking the punch, Isshin grabbed Ichigo's arm and pushed him to the ground. Sitting on him, he pulled Ichigo's leg back."Get off me!" He managed to push him off and kick him in the kitchen. The fight continued there.

"They're a lot of fun, aren't they?" Renji said.

"You guys!" Yuzu ran to the kitchen door. They were just throwing punches at each other. Not throwing any objects.

"Don't bother Yuzu, they won't stop until they get worn out, so don't waste your breathe." Karin flipped to another channel.

"If we want to get to the place in time, we need to leave now." Rukia walked into the Kitchen where the two were still fighting. There was a loud noise and then silence. A few seconds later, she dragged Ichigo out of the room. "Alrighty! Lets go Renji! Bye Mr. Kurosaki, Yuzu, Karin!." After she said that, Rukia and Renji walked out the front door, Ichigo still being dragged.

"What did she do dad?" Yuzu asked her dad when he walked out of the kitchen.

"I don't know, I didn't see a thing."

...

After dropping Ichigo's body off at Urahara's place, the three got ready to go. They went back to the park to open the Senkaimon.

"Remind me again, why are we here. I know to go to the Soul Society, but why couldn't we use Urahara's Senkaimon?" Ichigo asked while watching Rukia open the Senkaimon.

"Because, unlike the other times, you're being invited. It wouldn't be right if we made our guest go through the Rukon District, the gates where Jidanbo is, and then to where your staying for a week. Instead, we can just already be in the Sereitei with this one. Plus, it's much safer then Urahara's. We have hell butterflies."

"Right..."

When Rukia finished opening the Senkaimon, three butterflies flew out and flapped beside each soul reaper that was going to the Soul Society. After that, the three ran through the doors as they closed behind them.

Ichigo got a better look around the inside of the Senkaimon. He was more relaxed then the other times he's pasted through here, because he didn't have the cleaner chasing after him. Every time he's been here, he has been chased, so for the time being he could get a better look at the inside.

It wasn't that much to look at. There was just a lot of purple on the walls which looked like big blobs of slime. On the ground there were bones and skulls. It really wasn't that interesting.

"So, let me get this straight," Ichigo said, "I'm going to be captain of squad 13, and Ukitake will be my lieutenant. Right?"

"Right. All the lieutenants will become captains as well. So Renji will be one tomorrow." Rukia said.

"Wait, so Byakuya will be a lieutenant? I rank higher than him and I don't even work in the Soul Society."

"Don't speak badly of my brother! It's just for a week anyway. After this you'll just be a substitute again."

"I can't see him being ranked lower then a captain though. This is going to be an interesting week."

"Hey, there's the opening." Renji said, pointing toward the light coming up in front of them. Rukia and Ichigo stopped talking and focused on getting out of the Senkaimon.

...

One of the computer screens lit up, flashing a message for him to see. The biggest screen in the middle pulled a video up.

"They've arrived." He smiled and clicked off the two screens. After he did this, he stood up and went through the left hallway. "Let's wait another day or so before taking action."

While walking through he heard the monitor in the main room beep, which made him turn around. He looked at the screen to see another video pop up. The picture wasn't clear, but he could make out who was in it.

"This idiot... just had to come here?" He walked over to his bookshelf on the back wall and took out a large green book. He flipped through some pages and slammed the book closed, then put the book back on the shelf and continued doing what he was before the second video popped up. "I guess I have no choice."

...

They finally touched down in the Soul Society. It hasn't changed that much if not at all.

"Welcome to the Soul Society!" Rukia said turning toward Ichigo.

"Hasn't changed that much. I thought it would be more festive looking, but I guess not."

"Well there was a problem that happened long ago that made us not use decorations. Something involving the squad 8 captain."

"Since were back," Renji interrupted, "I have to report back to squad 6."

"Bye Renji!" Rukia waved to him. Renji flash stepped away. "We should get to squad 13 then. I have to report back too."

The two headed for squad 13. The buildings looked all the same to Ichigo as they passed by them. It was weird that all the soul reapers could find their way around the Sereitei when everything looks the same. They've lived longer though, and had time to figure out where they are.

After turning a couple corners, they arrived at squad 13. Rukia led Ichigo to her captain's office. Inside, Captain Ukitake was doing paper work at his desk. Rukia knocked on his door to make her arrival at his office known. Getting his attention, he looked up and smiled.

"Ah, welcome back Rukia," Captain Ukitake said.

"Thank you, sir," Rukia replied.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice, Ichigo. I was thinking about Lieutenant's Day and then your name popped up in my mind. I'm sorry about this."

"No problem, it's ok. I wasn't doing anything important when Rukia came." Ichigo said. Captain Ukitake got up from his chair and walked over to the two.

"Well, since you two are here, let's take a walk. We can talk about tomorrows schedule." Ichigo and Rukia agreed and began to walk out of the door.

"Captain! Are you feeling well enough to take a walk today?" A rough voice said.

"Oh, Sentaro. I feel alright. Better then yesterday actu-"

"Captain! Are you feeling well enough to go for a walk today? I mean, you weren't feeling the best yesterday!" Kiyone said running up behind Sentaro.

"Well I'm-"

"Why do you always do that?" Sentaro yelled to Kiyone.

"Do what?" Kiyone asked.

"You're always copying me and trying to take credit for what I do, booger eater!"

"Booger eater? You armpit-smelling goatee monkey! And I don't"

"Yes you do! Don't lie you little brat!"

"No! it's you who does that stuff, dummy!"

"Okay you two that's enough. I'm well enough to go out. Thank you for your concern though." Captain Ukitake smiled at the two and walked through the door. He motioned for Rukia and Ichigo to follow him. Sentaro and Kiyone were still arguing.

When they finally got out of his office, and squad 13's area, Captain Ukitake started talking.

"Now, since tomorrow is the big day, I'd like to fill you in a little bit on what's going to happen. First thing tomorrow, we'll have a Captain's Meeting to transfer our titles to one another. It doesn't take long though, maybe about ten minutes. Head Captain Yamamoto will mainly go over the rules of the week, which Rukia should of told you about. After that, you get to do whatever you want. The paper work will still be done by me, since you probably don't know how to fill it out properly, and the lieutenant's paper work will be filled out by Sentaro and Kiyone like usual."

"Ok." Ichigo said. The three turned a corner leading to a long walk way. Ichigo wondered where they were going, if they were going to a specific place.

"Your living quarters for the week will be in the lieutenant's barracks. Rukia will be your guide for the week also. It's like you have two lieutenants. Since I probably won't be following you around all day, Rukia will be helping you get to the places you need to go. I know this place looks confusing. She will also be attending the meeting with us."

Ichigo nodded. "Speaking of lieutenants, why didn't you pick one of those people in your office earlier? They do fill out the work for a lieutenant right?"

"Yes, but if I were to pick one of them, the other would probably get mad and they would start fighting. I thought it would of been easier to pick from outside of the Sereitei."

"I understand." After turning yet another corner, they arrived at squad 9.

"I have something to take care of here, so I might be a while. Feel free to walk around more if you want to." Captain Ukitake said.

"Will do." Ichigo answered. Captain Ukitake walked into squad 9 and left Rukia and Ichigo alone.

...

Outside of the Sereitei, in the Rukon District, Katsuya walked the boarder of the White Gate, pacing. He didn't get too close to it though. He kept looking at the gate and then at the sky.

"How am I going to get in there? I didn't think this through that well." Katsyua paced more when he heard some voices coming from his right.

"Hey! Let's hurry. I want to see the new captain we're going to get for a week tomorrow." A soul reaper said.

"Yeah Yeah, I'm going as fast as I can. What are the odds that he's really here though? I mean, it was short notice." Another soul reaper said.

"You never know until you actually see for yourself. Let's go!" The soul reapers sped up and flew by Katsuya, giving him a nice breeze.

_Are they from squad 13? Ichi did come on short notice. How convenient, though._ Katsuya went after the two when he sniffed the air. It was a very familiar smell. He turned around and saw a lady behind him. She was shorter then him, so he had to look down.

"Little boy," she said, "would you like some cookies?" Katsuya jumped for joy and nodded. He took one of the cookies off of the cookie sheet and bit into it. They were really good. It was chocolate chip, his favorite, and by the taste of it, they just came out of the oven. The chocolate was all gooey. They were so good, Katsuya took another one.

"Thank you, ma'am!" He said and spun with the cookie.

"Your welcome dear," she smiled at the kid before her. Katsuya chewed them slowly to savor the flavor. Then something came to mind.

"Wait! How did you cook these? I didn't know the Rukon District had stoves, let alone electricity."

"It dones't." The old lady said.

"Then how did you make these?"

"Magic." Katsuya looked at her funny.

"Magic?"

"Magic."

The boy was silent for a moment, then spoke. "Awesome! I want to make cookies with magic! Teach me!"

"Sorry, classified information."

"Fine." Katsuya folded his arms and pouted. Then he grabbed another cookie. "Thanks for the cookies ma'am! I gotta go now. I'm on a mission!" He waved to the lady and ran off in the direction where the soul reapers went.

The lady waved at him as he ran off. "Kids, they'll believe anything these days."

...

Hollow Ichigo paced the buildings in Ichigo's inner world. He was irritated by the box in the middle of the building. He couldn't stand it.

"Ugh this freaking headache! Is it even normal for hollows to have these?" Hollow Ichigo scratched his head. "I bet it's because of this damn box. What ever it is."

"Things have been a little off lately." Zangetsu watched the aggravated hollow examine the black box on the ground.

"This stupid eyesore!" Hollow Ichigo kicked the box with frustration. It flew by Zangetsu and fell off the edge of the sky scrapper. He turned his back to where it fell off and started pacing again. While he was doing this, he heard a thud behind him, which made him turn to see the same small black box sitting on the floor.

"What the...? I thought, I know I kicked this thing off!" Hollow Ichigo picked it up and threw it off the edge again, this time watching it fall. To his surprise, it vanished and popped up behind him again. This just made the hollow angrier.

"Calm down," Zangetsu advised, "Ichigo is probably trying to figure out what is happening."

Ichigo's hollow pushed the box away from him and jumped to another building. He laid on the edge of the sky scrapper, not facing Zangestu, and sighed.

...

Ichigo and Rukia walked around the maze of buildings in the Sereitei. They were thinking about what they were going to do about Ren. They couldn't really go outside of the gates to look for Shu at the moment. They'd probably be questioned about they're business outside of the gate. All they could do was wait for Katsuya to show up. He's the only other person who could solve this problem.

"Hey, Rukia," Ichigo said. She didn't respond for a second.

"Huh?"

"Where are we going?"

"Uh... I don't know. I was following you."

"I was following you!"

"Hold on." Rukia stopped, which made Ichigo stop as well. She jumped on one of the buildings to her left and looked around. "It looks like we're close to squad 11. If we take a right up ahead, we'd be on their grounds." Ichigo's eye twitched.

"Kenpachi's squad?" Rukia jumped down and went back over to Ichigo.

"Yup. You want to go say hi to him?" Rukia smiled.

"Hell no! That crazy bastard always wants to fight me. Let's go."

Rukia and Ichigo started walking again, but faster than before. Ichigo really didn't want Kenpachi to figure out he was here. Even though he would find out during the Captain's Meeting, Ichigo didn't want him to talk to him. The first battle they had together almost got them both killed. Kenpachi craves battle though, so whenever an opponent stronger then him comes along, he can't pass that chance up. Especially when Ichigo comes to the Soul Society.

They past the entrance to Squad 11, which came up on their right, and kept going. Ichigo caught a glimpse of what was happening in the area, but it wasn't much to see. Some of the soul reapers were sparing with one another, or sitting and talking to each other.

Up ahead came a fork in the road. The two debated on which way to go.

"Which way?" Ichigo asked.

"Right would probably take us into squad 11, and we don't want to go back there. Since we came from squad 9, left should take us to squad 12, and from there we can go back to my squad."

"Left it is then!" The duo turned left and continued walking. They passed by some soul reapers on the way. Some of them waved. They didn't speak to them though.

After about five minutes, they walked past squad 12, then arrived at squad 13 a few minutes later. It was about 5 o'clock.

"Since we didn't get to see where you're staying for the next week, I'll show you your room."

Rukia led Ichigo through the squad barracks. They did a series of turns through the maze of rooms. It felt like they went in a circle, but they were taking some rights and some lefts. They went through a straight hall and exited the barracks. Rukia turned left and stopped at the last door. This building wasn't attached to the rest. It looked a bit more fancier though. There was flowers planted outside of the building. The colors varied from pink to blue to yellow and orange, there were a lot. Some flowers also hung from the ceiling entrance in hanging baskets. On the floor, next to the door, sat a small, children's book sized, lion statue. One of its paws were stretched out, like it was trying to grab or point at something. The other paw was resting on a sword. The statue had a small sign on its front side that had the words 'Never give up' on it.

Rukia slid the door open and walked in the room. This room looked bigger then the other rooms for the soul reapers. It also had another door.

A desk was placed next to the door leading into a back room. It had the normal working utensils needed to fill out papers, which he wouldn't be doing. There were couches on both sides of the room, and bookcases were next to each couch on both sides. There was a window above one of the couches on the right. Outside of the window was a view of the lake and Captain Ukitake's place. The lake was sparkling and very clear. It made you want to jump in and swim. There was a small wooden table placed in front of the couch on the right. It had roses in the center of the table, which were in a clear vase filled with water.

"This is where you'll be staying. It's kind of like a smaller version of Captain Ukitake's office." Rukia walked over to the door that connected to the back room.

"Nice."

"Yup, this is where you'll sleep. It's your bedroom. It's pretty big." Ichigo went over to the bedroom door and slid the door open. It revealed a bed, that kind of looked like Ichigo's, in the left corner and another desk and couch, but these were smaller. There was also a window in this room as well.

"So how do you like your office?" Rukia asked. She pushed Ichigo out of the backroom and put herself on the couch closest to the window. Ichigo walked over to the desk and sat down, looking at the content of it.

"I wasn't expecting something like this. I thought I'd get one of the normal rooms."

"Well you are a guest here now, so we have to treat you right."

"So what if I wasn't a guest?"

"Well," Rukia started.

"Never mind."

"Anyway, I gotta go. I have to do a report on my last mission. I'm kind of falling behind on this..." Rukia stood up and made her way to the door. "If you need any help with anything try to find Sentaro or Kiyone! Have fun Ichigo!"

"Wait! What?" By the time Ichigo said this, Rukia was out of the room. "Tch."

Ichigo got up from the desk and made his way to the couch where Rukia was previously sitting. He was thinking about what would happen tomorrow. Being a captain of a whole squad seemed easy, but he didn't have full responsibility. All he had to do was sit in his office and go site seeing. The real captain had to do the work. It was like he was taking a break from just being a normal person and actually taking charge of something. This wasn't going to be all fun and games though.

It would be the first time he'd be with all the captains in one room and in the meeting hall, too. Standing in a room with different types of people with different capabilities would probably be nerve wrecking. Especially with the head captain there. He was apparently the strongest of all the captains, but compared to the central 46, he wasn't that powerful.

Ichigo laid down on the couch and put his hands behind his head. Now that all the activity calmed down, he was bored. There wasn't anything to do, and thinking about the meeting tomorrow was making him a bit nervous. There was, however, something for him to think about, even though he wanted to block it out of his mind for the time being. It was about the whole Shu problem. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Why does Shu want his help? It must be something illegal if he didn't just ask for help. This didn't sit right with Ichigo.

Ichigo closed his eyes. He kept thinking about why Shu needed him. Nothing was coming to mind though. Ichigo thought about asking Ren about it. If what he thought about him was true, then Ichigo could go to his inner world and talk to him. Then again, He probably should wait for Katsuya, because he doesn't know that much about Ren. Speaking of Katsuya, where was he? He came to the Soul Society before him, but he hasn't seen him. Maybe he was still in the Rukon District.

He let out a breathe and laid there, trying to clear his mind. Before he knew it, the soon to be captain fell asleep. He wasn't tired, but he wasn't wide awake either. It was something for him to do though, besides sit there.

* * *

><p>Review please!<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 7**

Ichigo rolled over. Forgetting he was on the couch, he fell off hitting the table on the way down. The flowers were still sitting, unharmed, on the small brown table.

"Ow!" He said, trying to get up and not hit himself again. "Must of dosed off." He looked out the window. It was pretty bright outside. In fact, the sun was shining brighter then when he fell asleep. It was probably morning.

There was a knock on the door while Ichigo was still trying to get up. The door slid open to reveal Rukia standing on the other side.

"What are you doing Ichigo?" She said, walking in.

"Eh... Uh, nothing." Ichigo crawled out from where he was and sat back on the couch. He put his hand on the spot where he hit himself at. The spot was throbbing, but it started to fade away.

"Okay then... We need to go to Captain Ukitake's office right away. He wants us to meet him there so we can all go to the meeting together."

He totally forgot about the meeting this morning. He forgot he was in the Soul Society too. Falling off the couch made him take his mind off of it right when he woke up. He did try to clear his mind last night, though.

"That won't be necessary." Captain Ukitake said from behind Rukia. "I decided to come here instead of you coming to my office."

"Oh! Good morning Captain!" Rukia said, turning around. She bowed in front of him. He gave her his usual smile.

"Good morning, Rukia and Ichigo. I wanted to get to the meeting hall a bit early, do you mind?"

"Not at all," Ichigo said.

"Alright then. Shall we go?" The two nodded and followed the captain out. They left squad 13 and started to walk to the meeting hall.

"So, are you nervous, Ichigo?" Captain Ukitake said over his shoulder.

"Not really."

"That's good. Do you have any questions about anything?"

"Now that you mention it, do any of the other captains or squad members know about me being here?"

"Only Shunsui, Head Captain Yamamoto, and myself. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." This was kind of interesting to Ichigo. Knowing that no one really knows hes here, he wondered how they would react. Ichigo also wondered why the head captain allowed a human to become a captain. It wasn't really like him. Then again, Ichigo doesn't know him that well.

The group kept walking toward the meeting hall. They weren't that far from it now. Just a few more minutes and they'd arrive.

...

"Hm! Hm hm hm hm. Where am I?" Katsuya whined. "I know I came from that way... so I should go..." He looked to his right and saw a dead end. Pouting, he sat on the ground and leaned his back on the wall behind him. He banged his head on the wall a couple times. The wall shook when his head made contacts with brick.

"What are you doing?" A childish voice said. Katsuya looked to his left. "Doesn't that hurt?" He saw a little girl with pink hair lugging around a sword with wheels.

"Oh, no! This relaxes me in a way. I'm use to this anyway." Katsuya smiled at the girl.

"Oh!" She giggled and walked over to him.

"Yup!" She sat down beside him and he stopped banging his head on the wall. "What's your name? Mines Katsuya."

"Mines Yachiru! Nice to meet you Kat! Wait what about Kitty! It sounds just like Kenny's name!"

"You nickname people two? I've always done that. What should your nickname be? Hm..." They both sat there and thought. "What about Yachi? Yeah, until I think of something else." The two giggled.

"That reminds me! I gotta find Kenny!" The girl jumped up. "I want you to meet him too so come on Kitty!"

"Okay!" Katsuya jumped up and the two started running to their left. They made a quick right and continued down the hall.

...

Finally at the meeting hall, the three waited outside. The gigantic doors were closed at the moment.

"Hey Jushiro! Your late." Captain Kyoraku said behind Captain Ukitake. Nanao was beside her captain.

"Oh, Shunsui! I usually get her before you."

"Well Nanao woke me up a little early this morning, but the wake up call forced me to get up, so I'm still tired." Captain Kyoraku laughed a little.

"I see."

"Don't worry though. I have something to wake me up!" The captain of squad 8 pulled out a bottle from under his girly kimono. He smiled and popped the top, but by the time he did this, the bottle was out of his hand.

"Captain! You shouldn't be drinking during the day! Especially this early in the morning." Nanao said, putting the cap back on the bottle of sake.

"Come on my little Nanao!_ How'd you get the cap_?" Nanao hit him over the head with the book she always carries."Why are you so mean to me?" Captain Kyoraku whined.

"I'm not 'your little Nanao'," She said, turning to Captain Ukitake. "Good morning Captain Ukitake." Nanao bowed to him.

"Good morning Lieutenant Ise." He said with a smile.

The trio continued to talk amongst themselves, forgetting about Rukia and Ichigo. Ichigo used this time to talk to Rukia. He shooed her away from the group so that if they were to talk, the others wouldn't be able to hear them.

"What?" She asked.

"Have you seen Katsuya yet? I know he's suppose to be in the Soul Society, but he hasn't shown himself to us yet." Ichigo said.

"No. If he was in the Sereitei, we'd be able to detect his spiritual pressure, but I know I haven't. He might be concealing it though."

"That makes since. If he came into the Sereitei and didn't hide it, then people would start detecting the unfamiliar pressure and start trying to find it and take it out. He is doing the right thing, I think."

"Yeah. After the meeting we need to go look for him, if hes in the Sereitei."

"Ok"

Ichigo looked over at the two captains and the lieutenant. They were still talking up a storm. Captain Kyoraku looked like he was whining to Nanao about something. Nanao was ignoring him and talking to Captain Ukitake. They still didn't notice that Ichigo and Rukia weren't over there with them.

...

"This way this way!" Yachiru said, jumping and pointing to the left. Katsuya ran to where she was pointing and she followed after him. They went all over the Sereitei, looking for her captain with no luck.

"I don't think hes here Yachi!" Katsuya said with a smile, looking through some bushes.

"I thought he would be..." Yachiru pouted. "Okay! That way!" She said, about to take off running to the right. Katsuya followed her to the new destination.

She was running pretty fast, but Katsuya could keep up with her. He was surprised how fast the little girl was. She didn't seem that powerful. Katsuya didn't judge a book by its cover though.

"Check there, Kitty!" She commanded Katsuya. He peeks around a corner into one of the bars in the Sereitei. There was a couple rough looking soul reapers in there, but there was no sign of a captain's uniform.

He looked back at Yachiru to shake his head at her, when he saw a shadow covering his sunlight. He looked up to see someone looking at him in the face. He had spiked hair, with an eye-patch on his right eye, and a scar on his left eye. This made Katsuya jump a little, but he didn't try to move.

"Yo!" The man said.

Katsuya managed a smile and waved at the large man.

"Yay! We found Kenny!" Yachiru jumped for joy and climbed on the man's back.

"This is him?" Katsuya asked. She nodded and a big smile came over the young boy's face. "Nice to met you! My names Katsuya, but you can call me Kat. Yachi calls me Kitty though. I really don't care what you call me, just nothing mean or insulting!"

"Captain of squad 11, Kenpachi Zaraki," He said, still in Katsuya's face.

"Yay! Pachi! Maybe I should call you Pachi Pachi. Or Patches. You look like a pirate. Maybe Spiky. I like your hair. You must use a lot of gel to keep it up like that. And the bells! How do you get the bell on the top spike?"

Kenpachi had an irritated look on his face. "Shut up kid," he said annoyed, "you talk to much." Katsuya just looked at him with admiration.

"Where were you Kenny! We were looking all over the place for you!" Yachiru said, changing the subject.

"My office. I didn't leave there 'till now." He answered.

"Aww! I thought you were right behind me when I left. Oh well!" She giggled.

"Whatever, now let's get this meeting over with. Which way?"

"That way!" Yachiru pointed to her right. "Kitty! Climb on board! We're about to take off!"

"Okay!" Katsuya said with a smile. He jumped on Kenpachi's back. Kenpachi didn't feel him get on until Katsuya put his hand on his shoulder, which felt weird to him. Ignoring the awkwardness, Kenpachi took off in the direction Yachiru pointed to.

Yachiru and Katsuya kept pointing out random directions. They were taking turns actually. When Yachiru pointed in one direction, Katsuya would point in another after Kenpachi would turn that way. Things were going really fast by them, but they could still see clearly.

"Hmm...?" Kenpachi looked around.

"What is it Kenny?" Yachiru asked her captain. A big smile came over his face.

"He's here!"

Yachiru gave a happy gasp. "Yay! Ichi's here!"

"I think I can trust my instincts and get us where we need to go," Kenpachi said, happy as ever.

"Ichi?" Katsuya said to himself. "Are you headed to Ichigo?" He asked Kenpachi. Katsuya noticed he said 'Ichigo' and corrected himself.

"That's the idea! I can follow his spiritual pressure. He's probably at the meeting, so he's leading me to where we need to go." Kenpachi responded.

_This is my chance to see Ichi. A quick and easy way to get to him. _Katsuya thought to himself. He smiled. "Just the guy I was looking for!"

"You know Ichi, Kitty?" She said surprised.

"Yes I do! We just met. Yesterday actually. I haven't been able to find him since then."

"Cool!"

Katsuya and Yachiru kept talking up a storm on Kenpachi's back. Kenpachi wasn't exactly interested in their conversation, so he concentrated on looking for Ichigo. Surprisingly, he was doing pretty good without Yachiru's directions. He was getting closer to the meeting with every quick turn. He felt accomplished.

...

By now, all of the captains and lieutenants had arrived in the meeting hall, except the captain and lieutenant of squad 11. The meeting couldn't begin without them, so everyone waited impatiently. While waiting, everyone was talking to one another, not really noticing their surroundings. They didn't even seem to notice Ichigo. Maybe it was because he was squished between Captain Ukitake and Rukia, but still. He felt a bit left out.

Finally, The doors opened and in came the squad 11 captain and lieutenant. Right after them came the head captain and his subordinate. Not really rushing, Kenpachi walked over to his spot. Ichigo watched him from between Captain Ukitake and Rukia, seeing if he'd noticed him yet.

Head Captain Yamamoto went over and stood at the other end of the room with his lieutenant. He looked around to see if everyone was there, and began the meeting.

"Today, as you know, will be the first day of Lieutenant's day. We will start by going over the rules of the week, then we shall switch positions." Head Captain Yamamoto said. "Rule one:" He began.

While the head captain was going over the rules, Ichigo was looking around. He wasn't really interested in listen because he's basically heard it before. Every now and then he'd listen to parts of the lecture. Nothing he hasn't heard before.

He looked at all of the captains on the other side of the room. They didn't really seem interested in being here. The lieutenants, however, looked pretty excited, except for one or two.

It seemed like an eternity before the rules were finished. When the captain of squad 1 slammed his cane on the ground, Ichigo figured the instructions were over.

"Now, for the switching of positions." Head Captain Yamamoto tapped his cane on the floor again and the doors in the front of the room opened. Thirteen soul reapers came in with something in their hands and walked over to one of the thirteen captains and/or lieutenants. They handed each captain a white piece of clothing and a badge. Captain Ukitake recieved two badges. The squads without captains were handed the same thing, but they didn't get badges.

Every captain took off their captain's uniform and put on a badge. This badge had the number of their squad on it. The lieutenants put on the white captain's uniforms. Ichigo's uniform had the number 13 on it and his name under the number on the back of the haori. All the former lieutenants had their names on their uniform as well.

Rukia helped Ichigo get his on, first informing him to take off his sword. After he got the haori on, he put his sword back on his back.

"Now that this matter is over." Yamamoto said. "I will now announce the new captain's names." There was a mental sigh amongst everyone in the room. "Captain of squad 1, Chojiro Sasakibe. Captain of squad 2, Marechiyo Omaeda."

Everyone probably wasn't listening to the head captain state the obvious. Ichigo was waiting for his name to be called though, to see the reaction of everyone. He didn't exactly like being stared at, but he was just curious.

"Captain of squad 5, Momo Hinamori. Captain of squad 6, Renji Abarai..."

Head Captain Yamamoto seemed to be enjoying saying all the former lieutenant's names. He had a smile on his face with every name. _Wonder why he's so happy._

"And Captain of squad 13, Ichigo Kurosaki." Probably half of the people in the room looked in the direction of Ichigo, a bit surprised at hearing his name. He saw Byakuya and Toshiro twitch and get a serious look on their face. Kenpachi gave a big smile to Ichigo, but he ignored his smile and looked at the head captain.

"Once you exit this room," Yamamoto said, "you will address your captain lieutenant, and your lieutenant captain. Now!" His voice boomed. "Have a great week." He smiled and stood up. Everyone gave a sigh of relief and started exiting the room.

"Captain Kurosaki" Ukitake said. Ichigo looked at him and sighed.

"You don't have to call me that. It sounds weird to me. Especially when you say it when you always call me Ichigo. So, just call me Ichigo."

Ukitake smiled. "Okay, but in front of other captains and lieutenants, I will call you Captain." Ichigo nodded. " Shunsui and I have something to take care of, so,"

"Ok," Ichigo interupted, "it's ok with me if you go." Ukitake smiled once more and walked over to Kyoraku.

Rukia followed Ichigo out of the room. When they got through the door, something pushed Ichigo to the ground. "Yay! Ichi!" Katsuya said, jumping on Ichigo.

"Katsuya?" Ichigo made him stop jumping.

"See! I told you not to worry about me! I made it here!" He smiled in his face.

"How'd you get here? Where did you get that soul reaper uniform from?"

"I'll tell you," Katsuya stood up and put a foot on Ichigo's stomach. Then he balled his right hand in a fist and put it on his right hip. He pointed his left hand at nothing. "The Adventures of Katsuya when we get to a place not here."

"Um, ok._" _Ichigo shooed Katsuya's foot off his stomach.

"Hey! Ichigo." Renji said, coming out of the meeting hall.

"What?" He said looking at Renji.

"What are you doing? Not even a minute after you get out of the meeting and you already mess up your captain's uniform."

"It's not my fault! He jumped on me." Ichigo pointed to Katsuya. Katsuya waved at Renji.

"I have nothing to say to that." Renji sighed.

Katsuya spotted Byakuya standing partially behind Renji and went to talk to him.

"Hello, my lord." He said, spotting the noble hair pieces in his hair. Byakuya looked down at him, a bit surprised at the manners.

"Hello," He responded.

"My name is Katsuya. May I ask your name?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki. Nice to meet you."

Renji scooted over to Ichigo. "It looks like Capta- I mean Lieutenant Kuchiki is getting along with the kid." Renji whispered

"Yeah," Ichigo said, standing up.

After everyone finished talking to each other, Renji and Byakuya started to leave.

"Hey, Renji!" Ichigo called back to him. "We have some 'business' to talk about, remember?"

Renji stared at Ichigo for a second, trying to figure out what he meant by 'business'. "Oh! Yeah. Sorry Lieutenant," he said to Byakuya, "I have something to take care of."

"I understand." Byakuya turned away from Renji and started walking in the direction of his squad.

"Okay! Off to a place not here to tell my adventure story!" Katsuya said to the group.

"Let's go to Ichigo's office." Rukia suggested. Everyone agreed and headed for the squad 13 lieutenant's office.

...

When everyone got situated in the office, their private meeting began. Katsuya sat on the opposite side of the room, facing the window, getting ready to speak.

"So, anything happen while I was gone?" Katsuya asked everyone.

"Nothing unusual," Ichigo said.

"That's good. Ren is rather silent... No mood changes? Or anything out of character?" Ichigo shook his head. "Hmm..."

There was a silence in the room. Then, Ichigo heard some sort of clicking noise. He looked around the room, to see if anyone heard it, but it seemed like no one noticed.

"Did you hear that?" Ichigo asked the group, breaking the silence.

"Hear what?" Rukia asked.

"That clicking noise. It was kind of loud."

"No, it was probably in your head."

Katsuya stood up, and walked over to Ichigo. He got up in his face and looked him in the eye. Not knowing what he was doing, Ichigo moved his head back a little to get some space between their faces. Katsuya, however, put both of his hands on Ichigo cheeks and pulled his face closer. He kept shifting his gaze from one brown eye to the other, like he was looking for something. This made Ichigo feel really uncomfortable.

"Uh, what are you doing." Ichigo said, trying not to breath on Katsuya.

"This might hurt a bit" Katsuya said, ignoring Ichigo's question.

"Wait, wh-?" Before Ichigo could finish his sentence, Katsuya banged his head on Ichigo's, taking his hands off of his cheeks. This made Rukia and Renji jump a little. The noise was like a brick dropping on concrete.

He stood there in silence, watching Ichigo's reaction. Ichigo cursed and put his hands on his forehead. The blow really hurt. Ichigo didn't know Katsuya had that kind of strength.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Ichigo shouted.

Katsuya smiled and took his spot back on the couch. "I was checking for Ren. When he's in his human form, not in his box, we usually do that to one another to wake ourselves up if we're trying to pull an all nighter. Usually, when we do this, we don't shout at each other. To him and I, it just feels like a tap."

"What does that mean?" Ichigo asked, waiting for the pain in his head to fade away.

"Oh, I get it." Renji said. "He's saying that if you didn't react to the headbutt, then he'd know if you were Ren."

"Exactly!" Katsuya said. "From now on, I'll have to keep doing that just to check. A twist though, is that I won't tell you or give you a warning the next time I do it. It has to be by surprise because he could just fake a reaction."

"What?" Ichigo didn't like the idea.

"It's necessary, Ichigo. Besides, if I didn't, Ren would probably secretly take over and kill everyone, you see?"

Katsuya did have a point. Getting hit in the head is way better then having all your loved ones killed. Especially when it would be done by your own hands.

"Anyways, back to the task at hand!" Katsuya clapped.

"Do you know why Ren is doing this?" Rukia asked.

"No. I wish I did, but he's only following what Shu commands. In reality, if Shu wasn't Ren's owner, then he'd be the nicest guy." Katsuya looked down at the floor. He had a somewhat sad look on his face. Seeing this, Ichigo sighed.

"So," Ichigo started, "are you gonna answer my questions I asked earlier?"

"Your questions..." Katsuya thought for a moment. "Oh! Grab your popcorn and drinks ladies and gents! Here comes the Amazing, Wonderful, Fantastic, Ironic, Awesome, Suspense filled, Knee slappin', Oh My Gosh saying, Door openin', Breath taking Adventure Of Katsuya! Hold onto your chairs!"

Ichigo gave a regretful sigh. _Maybe I shouldn't of reminded him... _

"Well, what had happened was..."

* * *

><p>Wonder how his story will turnout. ^^<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 8**

He ran after the two soul reapers as he was happily chewing the chocolate chip cookie. It was so good, he stopped and started hugging the cookie like it was a teddy bear. This was his last cookie he got from the old lady, and he wanted to savor it. Noticing he had stopped, he quickly started running in the direction as the soul reapers again. In his haste, he tripped over a rock, making his cookie fall out of his hand. To Katsuya, time had slowed down as he watched his beloved cookie slowly fall to its death. While his cookie was slowly slipping away from life, Katsuya was falling to his doom as well. Watching his delicious snack touch the dirt covered ground broke his heart. He tried to reach for it before this happened, but he was to late. The fresh out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookie touched down on the dusty surface of the Soul Society. "NOOOOO!" He held the 'O's' for a while until he got tired of saying it.

Katsuya inched his way over to the tarnished dessert item and stared at it for a while. He let out a sad sigh and picked the thing up. Not wanted to waste it, he started biting the top part of the cookie off. "I'm not wasting this cookie. It's _too _good to waste." He chewed the untouched part slowly, knowing that this was probably the last time he'll ever taste this wonderful addition to society again.

After finishing what he could save, he dropped the remains of the cookie and stomped on it, a bit irritated he couldn't finish it. He refocused on what he was suppose to be doing and started walking. "What was I doing... Oh! Yeah, following the soul reapers!" He looked around for the two reapers running but they were out of sight. This threw Katsuya in a panic and he started to run in a random direction. "Where are they, where are they?" He was on the brink or tears when he heard some voices.

"Shouldn't we be going through the gates?" One of the soul reapers said.

"Yeah, but I made a short cut! Follow me." Another one said, motioning for the first soul reaper to hurry.

Katsuya gasped and started to run over to where they were going, trying not to be seen. The closer he got, the better he could see the details of the two soul reapers. One of them had shoulder length black hair with some type of black hat on his head. His sword holder was red. The other soul reaper had his hair cut to where there was no hair hanging below his chin. Katsuya couldn't tell what color this guy's hair was, but his sword holder was dark blue.

Katsuya quickly followed them to a door that was sitting on the ground. It was one of those basement exits that had two doors that you could open at the same time. It wasn't very well hidden, but there was a skull and cross bones taped on the door, so most people that saw it probably wouldn't go down there.

The soul reaper with the black hair opened the hatches and pulled on the doors to open them. They flew open and dust sprinkled off the old wood. This was Katsuya's only chance to get into the Sereitei, so he made his move. Quietly, he tiptoed behind the two soul reapers. They hadn't noticed his presence yet, so Katsuya continued executing his plan.

"HEY!" Katsuya yelled from behind the two. They turned around quickly and saw him.

"Hey kid! what are you doing here?" The soul reaper with the short hair shouted. Katsuya smiled at him.

"There's a hollow over there." He said blankly. The two soul reapers looked around to find the supposed hollow. Katsuya watched them for a moment.

"Ha ha, just kidding! Give me your uniform." Katsuya didn't really have an expression on his face when he said this. The two soul reapers looked at him in disbelief.

"Huh?" They said in unison. Katsuya jumped on the soul reaper with long hair, and banged his head on his. This knocked the man out. The other reaper looked at him wide eyed.

"What are-?" The short haired soul reaper started.

"I need to get in the Soul Society, so I need a uniform. Apparently there's none for sale out here, so I decided to borrow one from you guys." Katsuya cut him off. He started trying to take the uniform off the unconscious man on the floor. "He better have something on under these. Does he? If he doesn't... I'm going to be scarred for life. I'm serious! I'm to young for this stuff." He shuddered at the thought.

"We always have something under our uniforms. Guys just wear boxers though."

"That's just great. I don't wanna see a half naked man! Oh, wait he has an under shirt... Liar." Katsuya said coldly. He continued taking the uniform off, finally figuring out how to get it off the man.

"Well I'm not suppose to know what another guy wears under his uniform! I don't role like that!"

"Or do you?" The guy gave Katsuya a glare.

"No, I don't!"

"How do I look?" Katsuya started posing for the man. He kept spinning and looking at himself. "I put it on right, right?"

"It's to big for you." He pointed out.

"I'll cut it." Katsuya took the sword off the unconscious guy's hilt and unsheathed it. He started stabbing the uniform and ripping parts of it off. When he finished, it barely looked like a standard soul reaper uniform. Katsuya cut the sleeves to short, so the sleeves came up to his elbows. The pants legs looked normal, but there were tear marks in them, like if you were to rip the fabric of jeans, over Katsuya's knees. Since the shoes definitely wouldn't fit him, he was barefooted.

The man looked at him in disbelief. "Y-you just ruined a perfect uniform!" He scolded him.

"So...?" Katsuya didn't really care, as long as he was comfortable, nothing mattered to him. "I'm bringing present day to this mid-evil times place."

The man was speechless. Katsuya was surprised that the guy was so mad about it. It was just one uniform. There should be plenty more where this came from, right?

"Anyways, shouldn't you be more worried about your friend on the ground?" Katsuya had a point. The short haired soul reaper was only paying attention to Katsuya. It didn't seem like he cared for the attacked soul reaper.

"Uh..." He couldn't figure out what to say to the short kid before him.

"It might take a week or even two before that guy wakes up, with the strength I used to knock him out." Katsuya looked him in the eye with a serious face. This made the guy quickly look at his buddy on the ground. He looked like he was having a spaz attack, trying to figure out what he was going to do about his beloved pal. Katsuya smirked. "I'm just kidding! Even though that is within my capabilities, I didn't do it that hard. He's only gonna be out for about, what? Another five minutes? More or less. Give or take five."

The man glared at Katsuya. He couldn't do anything but glare and wonder.

Katsuya waved to the guy and turned to the underground entrance. "Well, I'm wasting time here, so I'm off!" Katsuya looked in to see if there were stairs or a ladder. Since it was a ladder Katsuya started to climb down it. The conscious soul reaper stared at him as he did so. "By the way, when I said there wasn't a hollow, I lied." Katsuya smiled and jumped the rest of the way down to the bottom of the underground entrance. The soul reaper panicked and picked his half naked friend up and ran. Hearing the rapid footsteps, Katsuya looked up, laughing. "Heh, just kidding."

X

Taking another right, he sighed. The light was slowly fading away as he walked further and further into the shortcut. It smelled weird down there and water could be heard flowing somewhere. Katsuya stuck to the wall and kept walking. He needed to find a light source. He wasn't exactly afraid of the dark, it was just that he couldn't stand being blind.

Putting his hand on the wall, he felt something. Not bothering to try and look at it, he started feeling the object. It was box shaped and felt like it could have glass on it. Further investigation led to him finding a button. He pushed it and he saw white for a moment. When he got his sight back, he saw something really unexpected. The object with the button turned into a torch with fire burning on it. Looking down the hall, he saw more torches. He started following them down the hall, looking at the walls. The walls had turned into dirt basically. It looked like he was in a cave. The ground had rocks sticking up from the ground and the ceiling had some rocks protruding from it as well.

As he proceed down the path, he came to an opening. Walking through, he came to see a gigantic room. It had one gigantic statue in the middle of the room. Katsuya walked up to it and bent down to look at a name plate. He couldn't, however, make out the name. Some pieces were chipped off and the rest covered in a heavy coating of dirt. He looked up to look at the rest of the statue. The statue was pretty tall, taller then five feet probably, excluding the stone under the persons feet. This person had long hair and was wearing a soul reaper uniform. The face wasn't familiar.

Standing up, Katsuya examined the rest of the room. There was several doors in this room. They all looked exactly the same. Katsuya had forgotten which door he came through, so he couldn't go back out from where he came. This made him a bit annoyed. He couldn't just walk through all the doors, because he really didn't have time for it, although he wanted to. He looked around the room trying to find some sign of getting out. There were only doors and a statue, nothing to really investigate. There was however, this random painting on the wall. Walking up to it, the boy took it off its place on the wall. In the paintings place was a lever. Curious, Katsuya pulled it. It wasn't a very hard pull, but the lever broke off after Katsuya let go of it. The room started to shake after that, kind of like an earthquake. Katsuya squatted where he was, so he wouldn't fall over. Rocks and dust were falling from the ceiling, covering him in a blanket of dirt. He squinted and brushed himself off as the debris fell on him.

When the shaking finally stopped, Katsuya opened his eyes and looked at the damage. Rocks had filled the room up. All the doorways were blocked off, but something was different. The statue had turned a different way and was in a different position. It was pointing to one of the blocked doors. Interested, Katsuya picked up the broken lever bar and walked over to the statue. He banged on it with the lever. Nothing happened. He did it a few more times before he got bored and threw it at the big piece of stone. The sound it made when hitting the rock sounded like someone had just pushed a button. It was surprisingly silent though.

The statue's eyes started to glow. After this,

...

"things got so weird! I mean really! Once the eyes started to glow, lasers shot out from them! I don't know how that worked, but it happened! It blew up the rocks in the way and then the statue waved at me! I was so in shook, I didn't know what to do. I waved back at it though, then it returned to its original position. It apparently was possessed! By some hollow soul thing." Katsuya took a breath.

The first part of Katsuya's story was believable. Katsuya's cookie was just given a lot of attention. The second part, just wasn't believable. No one in the office bought that part. It basically made no since what so ever. A laser firing statue? Who would buy that? But the trio had to remember, Katsuya is a kid. Kids make up stuff to go in their stories to make it sound more interesting, so they couldn't really blame him for the random unnatural things happening.

The story was making Ichigo yawn a bit, the others too. It was beginning to get long and they really did need to focus on the real problem.

Ichigo lend into say something. Rukia and Renji saw this and silently cheered him on. "Kats-"

"Shh! Did I say I was finished? I haven't gotten to the end yet!" Katsuya wagged his finger at Ichigo. Rukia and Renji's cheers stopped and they rolled their eyes.

"But we need to-"

"No! You told me to tell the story so imma tell it!"Ichigo was about to say something else when Katsuya banged his head into his. Grabbing his forehead, Ichigo glared at the young boy smiling at him. "As I was saying..."

...

He walked through the now cleared door. It looked similar to the hall he had just came from before he got into the statue room. Quickly, he walked down the hall, which was getting darker. Katsuya started to pick up his pace, trying to get out of the darkness. It was really bothering him. Being surrounded by the same color didn't feel right to him.

After a while of speed walking, a small light started to show up. It looked like an exit. Happy, Katsuya skipped the rest of the way out of the cave. When he got to the exit, he looked to be behind a building. Looking around, he knew he was in the Soul Society. The orange-ish brown roof tops and the white base of the buildings let him know he was here. He peeked around the corner of the building to see if any soul reapers were coming and started walking. He turned left and right trying to find his way around the place. He was aiming for squad 13, so all he needed to do was find any squad and go from there.

Still walking around, he came to a dead end. He looked at it for a while and turned around. Going a different way, he ended up in another dead end. Getting a little frustrated, he turned and took more blind turns. This time, instead of ending up in_ a_ dead in, he ended up in two. They were sitting right beside each other. Stomping back in the direction he came, Katsuya jumped on the roofs and climbed over some walls. When he landed, he turned left and stood in the walk way facing toward the right. His eye twitched. Another dead end. He gave up and sat on the ground, so that the dead end was to his right. Katsuya leaned up against the wall and started banging his head on it. It made the wall shake.

"What are you doing?" A childish voice said. Katsuya looked to his left. "Doesn't that hurt?" He saw a little girl with pink hair lugging around a sword with wheels.

...

"This is where I met Yachi! Shes a nice girl. And guess what! She gives people nicknames too! She calls me Kitty."

"That's a manly name," Renji said. Katsuya gave him a look.

"I didn't get to pick!" He whined. "Anyway, Yachi wanted to find her friend so I decided to help her. We ran all over the place! When I say all over, I mean it. All up the walls and stuff. It was fun! We looked in pots and bars. We couldn't find him. Eventually, we did though. At first, I was scared of him but right after that, I wasn't. He's not that scary. He has a rough looking appearance but you get use to it. I named him Pachi. Well that's just one nickname. Others are..."

By the time Katsuya started to name the rest of the nicknames, everyone tuned him out. Especially Ichigo. Figuring out that Pachi was Kenpachi made Ichigo not want to hear about it.

After he finished naming nicknames, Katsuya began again. "Me and Yachi hopped on Pachi's back and he started to run. We guided him for a while, then he felt a spiritual presence. He ignored us and followed that one. And the pressure he felt was none other than Ichi's!"

"Mine?" Ichigo said, taking his hands off his forehead.

"Yup! You led us right where we needed to go without even being with us! It was straight forward from there. Me and Yachi kept talking about random things like foods we liked and animals we hated. Pachi was ignoring us by then, I'm sure. After we got to the meeting hall, Yachi told me to stay outside. I wasn't aloud in because I wasn't a captain or lieutenant, so I just waited. The head captain came in after that, I think. He looked at me and then pushed Pachi in the room. His eyes are like daggers! Staring at him is just like getting stabbed in the tummy. It was a very assertive stare. After the doors closed I just stood there bored. Before I knew it, the doors were open and the captains and lieutenants started walking out. Then I saw you!" Katsuya smiled when he said that and continued. "I was so excited I just jumped on you. And after that you know what happened but... yeah. That's the end of Katsuya's Amazing, Wounderful,-"

"Okay we get it." Ichigo interrupted. Katsuya sighed and bowed. Rukia clapped for him and gave him a tired smile.

"So, what did ya think? Was it amazing and wonderful!" Katsuya asked. Everyone was pretty much silent. Seeing that no one would answer, he went on. "It was so awesome, you all are speechless!" He smiled and sat back down on the couch.

Everyone in the room looked tired except for Katsuya. This got him thinking. "Alright! Let's go out!" Katsuya shouted. He got some lazy looks. "It's just morning, so you all shouldn't be sleepy! Let's go for a walk or something! You guys are captain ranked now, so you all could at least go say hi to your squad members. Especially you Ichigo! Your the new captain in town! Not many people know who you really are yet, so you need to go out and speak to people. Also we gotta take your mind off of Ren for now! I'll be thinking of the situation though. So don't sweat it to much." Sighing, everyone agreed and stood up. They all left Ichigo's office and started to look for soul reapers to talk to. Katsuya was skipping and pulling Renji and Ichigo along. Rukia smiled and walked beside them.

...

Ichigo started to get a headache after a while of walking. He didn't know what was causing it. Maybe it was Katsuya's surprise headbutts. That's the only thing he could think of. The pain wasn't really bothering him, but it was just annoying how it would start to throb, then disappear then reappear a few minutes later. It was like getting multiple headaches every five minutes or so. Ichigo tried to not make faces as the pain started to increase. He would flinch every time it happened. No one had noticed though. Katsuya was busy waving, talking, and skipping to everyone to notice. Renji was trying to get Katsuya to let go of him and Rukia was talking to some soul reapers as well. They were all busy not focusing on Ichigo. He knew it wasn't all about him, but he thought that everyone would at least keep an eye on him.

Taking a breathe, Ichigo tried to forget about the sharp pains in his head. The pain seemed to finally stop increasing. It was still there, but the amount of time it would take for the pain to come started to space out a bit. Instead of five minutes apart, it was about ten. Then about fourteen, then seventeen. Maybe this was a sign of it subsiding. He prayed it was and continued socializing with his new squad. Hopefully things will get better.

* * *

><p>Things are finally starting to move along. Review please!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 9

"C-Captain Kurosaki!" A voice said from behind the group. Everyone turned around. There were two soul reapers running up to them. When they finally stopped running, one of the two men started talking.

"Hi, Captain!" One of the soul reapers said. He smiled while panting. Katsuya looked at the two and scooted behind Renji, who looked at him funny, but let it slide.

"Hello," Ichigo replied. Right after he said this, his headache vanished. _Hm?_

"See! I told you he'd be here!" The soul reaper with black hair said to his friend. His friend gave his buddy a quick glare before speaking.

"I'm Miota, and this is Alex." Miota pointed to the black haired soul reaper.

"Nice to meet you," Ichigo said. He was trying to be formal and nice to the two, because he really didn't know how to act like a captain.

The two nodded. "Is there anything we can do for you, Captain?" Alex said. Him and Miota smiled and their eyes were sparkling. They wanted to be of use to their new captain.

"Well," Ichigo thought for a second. There wasn't anything in particular he wanted. So apparently his answer would be nothing, right? "I don't know why, but I kind of want some sunglasses..." _What the hell? I didn't say that? Did I? I... _Rukia, Renji, and Katsuya looked at him funny when he asked. That wasn't something they'd think Ichigo wouldn't ask for. Was he just asking for it to make the two soul reapers happy? They really wanted to help Ichigo out, so maybe that's what he was doing.

The two kept smiling and thought for a second. "Sunglasses sunglasses..." Miota repeated.

"Oh! It just so happens that I have some!" Alex started digging in his pockets.

"Some?" Miota asked.

"Yes, some! A good soul reaper always has more than one pair of sunglasses!"

"..."

Alex pulled out five pairs of sunglasses from his pocket. He showed them to Ichigo so he could pick which one he wanted.

"I have extras of each one of these, so taking one won't be a problem." Alex said cheerfully.

All of the glasses looked the same, basically. They all had the same black frame around the lenses. The only thing different about them were the lens color. It ranged from regular glasses clear, to can't see your eyes tent. Skimming over them, he picked the second most darkest pair of glasses. He put them on and tested them to see if he should switch it out for another pair. "Thank you, Alex." He said to him. Alex's smile grew wider. Miota looked kind of jealous. Seeing this, Ichigo turned to him. "Thanks for trying, Miota." Miota gave a smile and turned to Alex.

"Don't we have to go now?"

"Oh, yes we do! Sorry Captain, we have some matters to attend to." Alex said.

"That's fine. Go right ahead." Ichigo said. The two soul reapers bowed to their captain and started running. They ran behind the group. Miota glanced at the child behind Renji for a second and squinted, but kept running. Katsuya and Miota made eye contact for a split second. Renji and Rukia witnessed their exchange in looks and their expressions on their faces.

"Katsuya..." Rukia said suspiciously, "Were they-"

"Nope." Katsuya said quickly. He started whistling and messing with his fingers.

Ichigo stood a few inches in front of his friends, back toward them. He blinked a couple of times and squinted. _...didn't. I didn't? Didn't what_? _Damn it!_ He looked at his surroundings. Why was it so dark? It was like someone had put a filter over his eyes. Thinking for a second, he remembered the sunglasses. Why'd he ask for something he didn't want? He reached to take them off, but something stopped him from doing so.

Katsuya and the rest of their small group walked over to Ichigo. He looked up at him with curiosity. "Ichigo." He said.

"Huh?" He didn't look down at Katsuya.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Katsuya gave him a worried look.

"Now, let's go! We have a lot of ground to cover!" Ichigo spun around and walked past Rukia and Renji. He started searching for new people to talk to. Putting his hand above his eyes, he looked left and right for people, obviously not finding anyone. The others started to walk to catch up to him.

Katsuya was basically behind Ichigo, giving him worried stares. Feeling this, Ichigo turned around and grabbed his shoulder. Bending down, he moved the sunglasses more toward his nose so Katsuya could see his eyes. The duo behind them stopped.

"I'm fine. You don't have to worry so much." Ichigo looked him in the eye while saying this. "_He_ hasn't made any moves, for what I know. If he did, I'd surely be the first to know and alert you immediately. I wouldn't keep stuff like that from you guys. I won't lose to this guy and I won't try to do this on my own. I need all of your help to figure out the best way to solve this problem." Katsuya still had a worried look on his face. Ichigo gave him a reassuring smile to try to get him to cheer up. It worked, apparently, because Katsuya gave a smile back to him. It wasn't his normal kid like grin though.

"There goes one of Ichigo's speeches again," Renji whispered to Rukia.

"He's trying to cheer Katsuya up though." She replyed in a hushed voice.

Ichigo looked at the two whisperers, which looked back at him. Katsuya narrowed his eyes.

"Ichigo..." Katsuya said.

"Huh?" With that, Katsuya headbutted Ichigo. Surprised by this, he fell from his squatted position and held his head. "Damn it Katsuya! Your gonna end up knocking me out if you keep doing that!"

"Quick! Why were you squatting down!" Katsuya shouted.

"What?" Ichigo was confused.

"Hurry, answer my question! Why were you bending down to talk to me!"

"T-t-t-to reassure you that I was okay and you didn't need to worry about me that much." Ichigo said quickly.

"Cor-rect!" Katsuya headbutted Ichigo again, making him shout. "Where are we going next?"

"I-I don't know!" Ichigo stuttered, about to put his hands on his head again.

"Me either!" Katsuya banged his head on Ichigo's one more time, which made Ichigo fall on his back holding his head. Katsuya gave an unsure sigh. "You're good..." Rukia and Renji looked at each other in disbelief. Ichigo just got beat by a kid. It made him look kind of bad, because he's a captain and all.

"Why am I still conscious?" Ichigo moaned. Katsuya held his hand out for Ichigo to grab and stand up.

"Because, I didn't hit you that hard." He smiled at the teen and pulled him up. Ichigo wobbled a bit and pushed up his sunglasses. He had an annoyed expression on his face. "What?"

"Pushing these up on my face reminds me of Uryu."

"Whose-"

"No one you should worry about."

...

After a while of walking, they noticed that most of the soul reapers weren't around.

"I don't think we're going to find anyone else. Most of the soul reapers are on duty." Rukia said.

"Then let's go to my squad," Renji suggested, "I want to see how my lieutenant is doing."

"Byakuya isn't going to do anything wrong. Leaving him there without you being there is like making him captain for a short while."

"Still. Just to stop by. Ichigo got to see his squad and now it's my turn, right?"

"I guess." Rukia sighed.

"Alright, to squad 6." Renji led the way to his squad. It would be quite a walk from where they are now. It would be faster to jump the walls, but they didn't think Katsuya could jump on the walls and roof tops, or keep up for that matter.

As they were walking to squad 6, Ichigo heard an echo. He couldn't tell if someone was speaking really loud from somewhere far from where they were or if it was just in his head. He looked at everyone and saw no change in what they were doing, so it must of been in his head. The echos started to get clearer until he could finally hear what was being spoken to him.

"_Yo_!" The voice said. Annoyed Ichigo replied back.

"What do you want?" He said aloud. Everyone looked at him funny.

"What does who want?" Katsuya asked.

"Uh... Talking to myself.. Just ignore me, pretend I have a phone!" Ichigo could hear his hollow laugh at him.

"No that's creepy!"

"Well you guys can go ahead and I'll catch up, if you don't want to hear it."

"You don't know your way to squad 6, do you?" Renji asked.

"Maybe..." Ichigo looked away. "I can find my way there."

"I'll stay with you," Rukia suggested, "I am your lieutenant after all."

"Sure." Renji looked at Katsuya. He didn't want to walk with him. He talked to much and he barely knew the kid. Renji apparently had no choice.

"Yay I get to go with Pineapple!" Katsuya cheered.

"Quit calling me that. Now let's go." Renji started to drag the boy with him. Katsuya waved at Rukia and Ichigo and started thinking up knew nicknames for Renji. Renji was ignoring him.

"So, go ahead with your... conversation with yourself." Rukia started to scoot down the wall away from Ichigo.

"Is it that weird?" Rukia nodded. Ichigo gave a sigh.

"Now then, what do you want?" Ichigo asked his hollow again.

"_I was wondering,_" his hollow started, "_do hollows get headaches?_" Ichigo didn't say anything. _"Hey, I'm serious! I got one sometime yesterday, and it's been bothering me."_

"Have you ever gotten one before yesterday?"

"_No._"

"Then you just answered your question apparently. I don't know if that's the right answer though. I've never heard of a hollow getting a headache."

"_Oh,_" Hollow Ichigo gave a sigh. It was silent for a while. This made Rukia look over at Ichigo, seeing if he was done talking to himself.

"Why are you talking to me in the first place?"

"_Can't a horse talk to his king once in a while?_"

"No, that's not like you."

"_I know. Apparently there's been something wrong with me ever since three days ago. Zangetsu said I wasn't acting like my normal self. I don't usually consider talking to you not unless I'm trying to scare you or take control of your body. He said it was creepy because I continuously started to talk to him. What are you suppose to do when you're cooped up in a place with nothing to do?_"

_Three days ago? _Ichigo tried to remember what happened three days ago to see if he could help. Nothing was coming to mind so he ignored it. "Well, we're trying to figure things out on our end. And don't annoy Zangetsu."

"_Tch, sure... Speaking of your end, have you figured anything out about this box? I think that's what's causing me to act out of character. It's pissing me off too._"

"We figured out that someone is inside it. Also that, that person or thing is trying to take over me or something. Kind of like what you try and do. His name is Ren and I've only heard him speak to me once. Rukia and Renji say he's taken control of me once before. I don't remember it at all, so I have no details about that."

_"A guy in this small thing? Really? And he can control you like I do?" _Hollow Ichigo scoffed at this._ "Someone thinks they can come in here and take over the thrown just like that? This guy has another thing coming._"

"I thought you would know more about this, but I guess not."

"_No. All I can say is that Zangetsu has been seeing changes in my personality. It must be this Ren guy._"

"Oh. Has Zangetsu been acting weird?"

"_Not that I know of._"

"Hmm..." More silence fell upon them. Ichigo scratched his head. It was kind of awkward talking to his hollow like this. It's probably the first conversation they've had that wasn't about taking control of his body or just being mean to each other. This is probably the only time it would happen though.

"_By the way, He told me that besides the personality change, I've also been freezing._"

"Freezing? What?"

"_Not like cold freeze, but just pausing randomly when I'm speaking to him. I've kind of sensed it too. It's like I'm saying something, then there's a super long pause and then I continue my sentence. By the time this happens, I forget what I was about to say. Zangetsu says I'm just standing in one position and not moving what so ever. It's happened three times so far. Has this happened to you before? And I've also been kind of tired lately. I don't know why, I sleep basically all day and I'm still tired._"

Thinking about it for a while, Ichigo did remember something similar happening. "Actually yes. I was thinking to myself and I felt like I got cut off. When I finally started finishing my thought, I couldn't remember what I was thinking about. I think I was moving though. When I came to, I had sunglasses on and those two soul reapers I was talking to were gone. And I haven't been tired lately. I feel normal with the exception of the sunglasses part."

"_I don't really know how to respond to that. It all links back to this box issue in a way. Whatever the case is, this thing needs to get out of here." _There was a short pause._ "Anyways, I'm getting irritated talking to you now. I know I haven't been myself lately, but I haven't lost all my personality. If anything else unusual happens, I'll probably tell you._"

"Tch, Whatever. By the way, I have been feeling that I've been acting weird, now that you mention it. After Katsuya hits me, I snap out of it. I think if you get Zangetsu to hit you in the head a few times, you'll go back to your normal self. And what do you mean probably?"

"_I'll keep that in mind. Whose Kats- Never mind. I don't want to know. And probably means probably. Your annoying me more so, bye king._" Hollow Ichigo's voice faded away. Something lingered in Ichigo's mind though after his hollow stopped talking to him. _'Maybe this kid isn't telling you the whole story.' _This thought kept racing through his mind. Was it his thought? Maybe Katsuya wasn't telling him the whole story. Whatever the case is, Ichigo probably needs to ask him.

Sighing, Ichigo walked over to Rukia, who was sitting on the ground with her sword on her lap. She must of gotten bored and started talking to her zanpakuto. Pushing her a little with his knee, Ichigo tried to get Rukia's attention. She didn't respond. He tapped her on the shoulder a few times with no success of getting her to respond. "Rukia!" Ichigo yelled in her ear.

"What!" She jumped up to her feet and had her sword ready. "Oh, your done, um..."

"Yes. I wasn't exactly talking to myself. It might of looked like it but I wasn't."

"Oh really? Then who were you talking to?"

"My hollow. Apparently he's getting affected by Ren. I don't know why, but he is. Zangetsu says my hollows been acting out of character and is apparently freezing in time."

"Your hollow? Since when does he talk to you? And freezing in time? What do you mean?"

"Like I said, he has been acting out of character. Long story short, I need to tell Katsuya about this, and ask him a few questions."

"Um, okay." Ichigo started running in the direction he thought Renji had left in. Rukia pointed the other way and she led the way to squad 6.

...

"And that's what I would have wanted for 11th birthday." Katsuya finished. "You know, I feel better talking about this."

Renji looked at Katsuya from the corner of his eyes. "You talk way to much for your own good."

"I know. It's a habit. When I was about 8, I started to lose friends and I didn't have anybody to talk to. Now I just catch myself talking a lot to anybody who'll listen. I try to stop but I can't control myself. I have five years worth of stories in my system, so this is a way to extinguish the flames of the fire in my body."

Renji wanted to ask about his friend loss, but knowing Katsuya, he'd talk on and on about it. It would maybe even bring up a few bad memories and make him cry. Not wanting to deal with this, he kept the question to himself and hoped Katsuya didn't start talking about it.

"You know, my parents didn't even want to deal with me after age 9. They said I was to much trouble for what I'm worth..." Catching himself, Katsuya stopped talking. Renji looked at him. He was wearing a sad expression. _You better not cry..._ Renji thought to himself.

"Hey," Renji started, "Don't dwell in the past so much. What's done is done. There's no way you can change the past, but you can always change your future. So, be a man and walk straight out of your past and into the future. You're still young so don't beat yourself up about it. Got it?" The little boy looked up at him. He smiled and stood up straight.

"Your right! I'm getting so depressed over small things! It's all in the past now, so why worry about it!" Katsuya started walking faster, making Renji pick up his pace. "Oh, now I feel guilty for making a sad face to Ichigo..." Renji punched Katsuya in the head, really annoyed.

"What the hell did I just tell you?"

"Eh, heh heh... Sorry. Habit."

"Habit my ass," Renji mumbled. "We're almost there, finally."

Turning a few corners they somewhat arrived at squad 6. They just had to get into the building first. No one was outside though.

...

"Are you really a lieutenant Captain Kuchiki?" A squad member asked Byakuya.

"Apparently he is now! Look at his badge!." Another one yelled.

"We have to call him Lieutenant for a week?"

"That sounds weird. Captain Kuchiki sounds better."

"Lets just said Assistant Captain Kuchiki"

"Good enough for me!"

"Now it's just with Assistant Captain Abarai."

"It's Captain Abarai now!"

Byakuya was standing in front of the room while his squad members were shouting and yelling, trying to figure things out. They already should of known about this, but someone neglected to tell them. It was Renji's job, so he's probably the one to blame.

The comments went on and on for Byakuya. Was this how they treated Renji at times? When Byakuya was Captain, everyone was respectful to him. Now they're just talking to him like they are his equal. He didn't really like it.

"Assistant Captain Kuchiki!"

"It sounds so weird!"

"..."

"I want to just call him captain."

"Too bad!"

"...!"

"Don't you see that badge? It means he's a lieutenant now!"

"Can't you see?"

"Yes!"

Very slowly, Byakuya took his sword out. He then turned it upside down.

"Assistant Captain... What are you-"

"Bankai."

...

Hearing an explosion, the two looked up to see pink come out of one of the buildings.

"W-what's happening?" Katsuya asked.

"That's Kuchiki's bankai." Renji said. "What's he using that for?"

After a few seconds, they saw soul reapers running from the building. Renji grabbed one and started talking.

"What's going on?"

"Assistant Captain Kuchiki suddenly unsheathed his sword and used bankai! I have no idea why." Renji narrowed his eyes and let the soul reaper go. Walking in the damaged building he could see his lieutenant. He was standing in the middle of the room putting his sword away.

"What are you doing?" Renji asked.

"Nothing," Byakuya walked past Renji and out into the open. Then he disappeared with a blink of an eye. Renji looked at the mess. _I'm definitely going to have to talk to him later about this._

Walking outside, Renji saw his squad members standing and waiting. He saw Katsuya talking up a storm to some of them. With a sigh, Renji ordered some soul reapers to clean up the mess. Gladly, most of the soul reapers started cleaning up. The rest were ordered to get ready and try to fix the building. Katsuya ran over to Renji.

"So, what happened?"

"Nothing, apparently."

"Nothing? But the mess...?"

"No, all he said was 'Nothing' and walked away."

"Ooooh... Sucks for that building. Anyway, let's go find the others. My Ichi senses are tingling!" Renji looked at him funny. "I know we just got here, but the others are probably still looking for us."

"Wouldn't it be better to stay in one place for them to find us though?"

"...No..." Katsuya looked at Renji, which made their eyes meet. Feeling uncomfortable, Katsuya looked away. "It's weird looking you in the eye."

"What?"

The two waited at squad 6 for a while, waiting for Ichigo and Rukia to show up. Getting bored, Renji started to help his squad members fix the building. Katsuya followed soon after, talking to everyone as he went.

...

Hearing an explosion sound, the two tried to figure out where it was coming from. Rukia pointed out that it came from squad 6, so they quickened their flash steps.

"Wonder what happened there." Ichigo said.

"Me too."

"Wouldn't it be ironic if that was Byakuya's bankai?" Rukia gave Ichigo a sharp glare.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I just have a feeling."

The two continued toward Renji and Katsuya. It felt like they were going for hours to Ichigo, but they have been jumping buildings for about a few minutes. He was getting tired too. He doesn't usually get tired during the day, but right now he was. Both mentally and physically. Sucking it up, he kept going.

After what seemed like an eternity, They finally saw squad 6 and the damage done to one of the buildings. Katsuya looked behind himself and saw them coming. He got Renji's attention and pointed to them. Finishing what he was doing, he walked over to where he thought the two would land.

"Hey Renji!" Rukia sang as she landed in front of him. Ichigo was dragging a little, so he wasn't near Rukia.

"Yo!" He replied.

Finally getting to the last building, Ichigo jumped off it. Instead of flying off like he thought he would, Ichigo slipped. "Renji! Watch-" The words came to late. Ichigo landed on Renji.

"Hey get off!" Renji yelled at Ichigo. Getting up, Ichigo took a breathe. He wasn't breathing hard, but he sure was exhausted.

"Uh, sorry..." Ichigo apologized, helping Renji up. "What happened here?"

Katsuya tilted his head to the right. "Bankai."

"Oh..." Rukia and Ichigo said in unison.

"Anyways," Katsuya said, "My Ichi senses were tingling so I know somethings up with you."

"Your Ichi.. What?" Ichigo asked.

"Let's talk while we walk, shall we? If we were closer to your office, we'd go there, but we aren't so walking is the next best thing!" Grabbing his arm, Katsuya started leaving squad 6. "You two can come if you want to. Your apart of this too, you know."

"Why don't we just go to Renji's office this time? It's close!" Rukia suggested smiling. Renji looked at her.

"That's a great idea! Pineapple's office it is!" Katsuya turned around, pulling Ichigo with him. "Lead the way Moocher!"

"H-hey wait a minute! Where did moocher come from?"

"Mr. salesman told me about you all." He smiled. "You used to mooch off them, right? Since you don't like pineapple, I'll call you Mr. Mooch!"

"Ugh!" Renji turned in the direction of his office and started walking. Hey waved to his squad, telling them that he'd be in his office. They nodded and went back to their work. The others followed him.

* * *

><p>Review please.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 10**

Renji's office wasn't that much different from Ichigo's. It basically had the same stuff, just in different places. There were, however, some different objects, like file cabinets near the door. A couch was set next to Renji's desk to the right. His desk was set on the back wall facing the door. There were bookcases on the walls, to the right of the couch and to the left of the desk. The normal writing utensils were on his desk. Pens, pencils, paper clips, sticky notes, items like that. There were also papers stacked around and on it. Some looked like they were filled out, and others were blank.

There was another couch on the wall with the door. The small coffee table was in front of it. There wasn't any flowers on this table, just more papers. Renji had a lot of work to do.

Rukia sat on the couch closest to the door. Katsuya plopped his body on the couch next to her. Renji sat at his desk and Ichigo sat on the couch beside him. The couch felt so good. It was comfortable, like the one in his office, and he sunk right in it. He closed his eyes for a split second and opened them again. Being tired made him want to just drift off, but he had to tell Katsuya the story. Sitting up, he gave a sigh.

"Okay Ichi, What's up?" Katsuya asked, scooting closer to Rukia.

Ichigo started talking. He told them basically about the day so far, starting with meeting Alex and Miota. Katsuya was making mental notes about everything he said. Despite his childish and random personality, Katsuya was actually pretty smart. He knew a lot about Ichigo's situation and went about handling it pretty well so far. Besides the minor distractions, they were getting somewhere.

A little bit into his lecture, Ichigo started losing his vision. It would fade away then come back. It didn't happen that often though. Maybe every five or so minutes. Sometimes he couldn't even notice it. This didn't seem like a very major problem, so he ignored it. He was tired after all. The couch's comfortableness was urging Ichigo to lay down and sleep. He knew he couldn't though. He had a lecture to finish.

Later on, during his talking, he felt his eyes closing slightly. He sat up straight and tried to move around a bit to try to get himself to wake up. Trying to incorporate the movements with his lecture. It didn't really work. He was still tired and his eyes were getting heavier by the minute. No one could see his eyes, of course, because of the dark sunglasses. Maybe that was making him tired. He tried to move to take the sunglasses off, but something threatened him not to. Instead, he scratched his head, since his hand was already up there. This reminded him about the other time he wanted to take them off. He felt the same feeling just now. This made Ichigo rewind a bit and tell Katsuya about the two attempts.

When Ichigo stopped talking, there was a silence. Katsuya was processing the information. Rukia was just watching Renji, who was doing paper work. His pen was moving pretty fast. It made Ichigo wonder if soul reapers had a certain technique, kind of like flash step, to write that fast. Flash writing? No, probably not. Refocusing, Ichigo waited for Katsuya to speak. He let his body fall back on the back of the couch.

"I have two things to say. One is the number four." Katsuya said. Renji looked up from writing, hearing another voice besides Ichigo's let him know that this was going to start getting interesting. "Let me explain. I'm now 100% positive that Ichi's level is four."

"Huh?" Ichigo managed to say.

"Tolerance level. At first I couldn't really figure out if your level was three or four, but now I know it's a four. You see, when I was hitting you repeatedly after you told me you were okay, you stuttered. When you were answering one of my questions, you stuttered on the word 'to' four times. To put it simpler, you made the 't' sound three times, followed by the actual word. After you said this, you stuttered again on the word 'I'. You basically said the word twice. That made me confirm it. You stuttered your level and then you cut it in half, making it two. It only works with even numbers between one and five. In fact, it only works on that number, four. Yes two is even, but If you cut two in half you get one, and I can't tell if you repeat a word once. Understand?"

It did make since. It was just amazing to everyone that Katsuya remembered that. It was such a small detail and he still remembered it. Most people would think that the stuttering was just for confusion or pain, which would be easily overlooked. It's always the little things that are overlooked.

"There are other ways of figuring out a level for someone. You just have to watch them non-stop and watch every small detail. It's hard for untrained eyes. Anyways, my second thing to say is that do you seriously have a hollow? I mean, really?"

"Yeah. He never talks to me though... I know somethings wrong with him after hearing what he had to say." Ichigo said lazily.

"Oh. Is he mean to you?" Katsuya narrowed his eyes, "Never mind, let's refocus. Your hollow... If I knew you had one, I would have taken a different approach with this situation. I thought you were a normal soul reaper. Now that I know otherwise, there's probably many things different with you now. I just have to figure out what."

There was an awkward silence in the room. All that could be heard was Renji's pen writing on paper. Rukia had gotten up and tried to help Renji with his work. Ichigo was just sitting on the couch. He was laying in it while sitting up. Katsuya, not liking to sit alone, walked over to Ichigo. He basically jumped on the couch. Ichigo didn't move. Katsuya looked through his glasses to see his eyes. They were shut. _Why's he sleeping? _Katsuya thought. He tapped on his glasses to see if he would wake up. No response. He was out.

"What are you doing?" Renji asked Katsuya. Rukia looked up at him.

"Ichi's asleep. Should I wake him up?"

"No, he's less annoying that way."

"Okay!" Katsuya said cheerfully. "He must be in deep sleep." He poked Ichigo a couple times. He didn't wake up. "See! This is suspicious!"

"Or it's just that he's tired." Rukia said.

"Suspicious!" Katsuya twirled off the couch. The two soul reapers still conscious looked at each other. Katsuya started to prancing around the room. He picked up stuff and started to examine them. The little boy started opening and closing books and drawers. This got on Renji's nerves.

"Hey! cut that out!" Renji shouted at Katsuya.

"Aww! Don't be that way Mr. Mooch!"

Renji twitched. "Um, Katsuya. Maybe you should go outside and do something, like help the other soul reapers rebuild or something." Rukia suggested before Renji could say anything.

Katsuya's eyes sparkled. "That sounds fun! I can talk to a lot of people out there! Good idea Chappy!"

"Chappy?" Rukia said a bit confused.

"I don't like the nickname Ki, so I'm gonna call you Chappy. Ki sounds... like kiwi, you know? I don't like that word that much. Kiwi... It's like... Eh? It's an annoying and weird word." Rukia gave him a blank stare. "Anyways! Bye you two!" Katsuya smiled and turned left out of the office.

"You know he turned the wrong way, right?" Rukia said.

Renji smiled.

...

"Yo?"

"I have another assignment for you. It would be nice if you could do it first, but your main goal is to carry out the job I sent you out on a few days ago. Understood?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Can I trust you with this? Are you a 100% committed?"

"Yeah, you created me after all, why would I disobey? I'd rather not get taken apart again." There was a quick silence. "What's this new job?"

"I'd rather not resort to this, but I have no choice really. He's a good person and all, but..."

"What are you rambling on about? Who now?"

"Nothing. I want you to take assignment K for me. I know I said I would never give it to you, but he's been a real pain now. He's all I can worry about now. It's very annoying."

There was a pause. This went on for about a minute. "Hm..."

"I asked if you were 100% committed. I don't just say that for little jobs I give you. I didn't say that on the mission your on now because I knew you could take care of it without a problem. You don't know any of the people there. This one, however is different. I would say that I'd do it myself, but the times not right."

"What's the point in doing this? Do I really have to-"

"Yes. Well, just get the job done as fast as possible and get back to your first assignment. When your close to your objective, I'll come to help you. Just contact me when that time comes. I wont let you go in alone. After all, I want to be apart of my plan. It's better if I do it with my own hands, but I know I'm not strong enough to take them out alone. It's only a matter of time."

He sighed. "Ugh, what a pain! _Who you think you are? Cutting me off like that? Tch._"

"What was that?"

"Nothing.."

"Anyways... How long will it be until your ready?"

"Not to long. A matter of hours. I think... Hours, minutes, days..."

"What?"

"Chill, It's hours. Not to long."

"Can you be more specific?"

"Nope."

"..."

"Need anything else?"

"No, that should be it. Don't draw to much attention to yourself when you begin. Our boy is a guest in the Soul Society after all. I don't have anything against him, so I don't want to get him in too much trouble. He's a nice kid."

"K." _This damn assignment. What a pain. At least I see a loop hole._

...

He turned left. Then took a quick right. Another left. Right. Straight. Right. Left. Diagonal left. Down right. Straight. Back. Left.

Katsuya couldn't find his way out. He wasn't paying attention when Renji was bringing them in. He was too busy pulling Ichigo along. Noticing his surroundings was the least of his problems. All he could do was guess, and that's what he did. Katsuya was trying to look for windows to indicate that he was close to the outside of the building, but so far he couldn't find a single one. All he saw was a bunch of doors with windows on them. It was frustrating him.

Katsuya really wanted to go out and talk to the soul reapers as well as help. He needed to get rid of his talking habit, so he would be less annoying. Talking to all the soul reapers outside would be a great way to decrease the urge to talk. Maybe he should ask someone for help. After all, the soul reapers here knew their way around. He searched around for them, getting himself more lost. _Oh my gosh where are they? _Sliding open every door he past and looking through the windows, he couldn't find anyone. Where were they? Maybe they were on duty? Katsuya remembered that most of them were outside. The only thing he could do now was retrace his steps and go back to Rukia and Renji.

Wondering around for a while, Katsuya seemed to remember where he was at. He had gone back up and it looked like he was close to Renji's office. Peaking through a door, he saw Renji and Rukia. He watched them for a while. He glanced over at Ichigo too, who was still out. He didn't move an inch from when he left.

Renji looked up and saw Katsuya peaking in the doorway. "What are you doing?" He stopped writing.

"You could of told me I was going the wrong way. I'm heart broken now. And Rukia!" Katsuya started doing a fake cry. "I thought you would of stopped me and pointed me in the right direction! I'm hurt, really hurt."

"To get out of this building, you have to turn right out of this office. From there, it's pretty self explanatory." Renji began writing again. Rukia gave Katsuya a sympathetic smile.

"That's all you had to say you know." Katsuya walked the other way to get out the building.

...

Patrolling West Rukon, they were happily reminiscing on the day so far. It was about 2:00 in the afternoon, so there wasn't that much that happened to them.

"He's so cool!" Alex said, skipping.

"Who? Captain? We barely know him, but I guess he is." Miota sighed and looked around. There were some kids running around chasing each other. They were laughing and jumping. Most of the kids were running from an older looking boy with a stick. He was waving it around smiling. "That's kinda cruel..."

"You wanna go break them up? And when I say you, I mean you. I'm not getting hit with a stick."

"Coward! They're just kids. And I highly doubt they'd hit a soul reaper."

"Yes! They would! That kid that hit me like yesterday, remember? Took my clothes too... What kind of person does that?"

"Oh, well you just have bad luck."

The two watched them for a while and then started walking again. They were looking for hollows. This was a pretty quiet place though, not too much happened here. They still had to watch the area because they were assigned here.

"You know, Captain Kurosaki reminds me of..." Miota stopped.

"Somewhat. In a way he reminds me of him too. I don't know what it is though."

"I wonder what happened to him. No one ever told us where he went."

"Yeah." There was a moment of silence.

"Huh? What'cha talkin' 'bout?" A voice came from behind the two. They looked back quickly to see a female soul reaper. She had a long dark brown braid that came down to her waist. There was a pink ribbon tied at the end of her braid. She had pink butterfly hair clips on each side of her head. The girl was no taller than Alex. She was holding her sword, which was pink. It had a pink charm hanging from the hilt. The dark haired girl wore pink glasses as well. They had a crack in the right lens and tape over the middle of of the glasses. Surprisingly the tape wasn't pink, it was a tan-ish color.

"A-Anny? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your squad?" Alex asked.

"Yes, but Captain Kotetsu told me ta look around for people ta heal in this area. I haven't seen anyone in need of help, so I came ta see what yall were doin'."

"Oh, what luck." Alex gave a sarcastic smile. Anny hit him with the butt of her sword.

"Say that again! Come on!" Alex grabbed his head. "That's what I thought."

"I see you've changed your color again. And you still have your broken glasses. When are you going to get them fixed?" Miota sighed.

"Yes. I felt pink taday! And I don't know. Whenever Shu comes back! We were glasses buddies! He just disappeared one day and never came back. He said he was goin' ta fix my glasses that day too. I'll wait for him! He must of had a good reason ta ditch us." Anny poked at her broken lens. "If he never comes back, then I'll never fix my glasses."

"Tch. I heard roomers from the squad that he was sentenced to death. Something happened though and no one knows where he is. We have no way of knowing if he's dead or alive. This happened a hundred years ago, right? So who knows."

"Don't talk 'bout Shu that way! He could be alive! Just recently, I've been having this feeling. That maybe he's alive. Around here ta be exact! And that new captain. That Kurosaki guy. I've been gettin' vibes from him. He past me one time and all I could think 'bout was Shu."

This made Alex and Miota think. They had to admit that they did get a vibe from Ichigo. They couldn't explain it, but in a way it reminded them of Shu. Now that she mentioned it, they too were getting a sense that Shu is or was close by. Something was lingering.

"You have ta admit it! I asked Hana! She has these feelings too! She was the only other person from the accident!"

"Flower... Oh, her. I forgot about the accident. Anyway, I do admit it."

"Oh! Hana! How's she doing? I haven't spoken to her for so long?"

"She's fine. Her speech got better actually. She got burned in her throat that one time and she couldn't speak right, remember? After the accident, she can speak way way better!" Anny smiled.

"That's wonderful! I want to hear her speak now." Alex clapped his hands.

"Let's go now!"

"Need I remind you that we're on an assignment, Alex." Miota said impatiently.

"Aw... Later then?" Alex asked Miota.

"I suppose."

Anny sheathed her sword. She played with her charm for a while.

"Anny," Miota started, "Why did you have your sword out?"

"Oh, well I performed a konso not to long ago. Before I came here actually." She answered.

"Huh? You can't do konsos in the Soul Society! Konsos are when you send souls from the World Of The Living to the Soul Society. How can you send a soul here if it is already here?" Miota shouted.

"Oh, um... Well it's too late now. That soul is somewhere." Anny scratched her head. Miota started walking away.

...

Katsuya skipped back inside. He had fun talking to the soul reapers. Most of them didn't mind him speaking to them for so long. They actually enjoyed his stories. A lot of the people could relate to his stories. They had some things to tell Katsuya too. It helped some soul reapers let out their steam. Katsuya's talkativeness helped more then himself. He felt happy.

He turned into Renji's office, smiling. There was a stack of papers on Renji's desk. It almost blocked off Renji's head. All you could see was the spikes on his head. Katsuya giggled. Rukia was sitting on the floor filling out papers. She looked up seeing Katsuya laughing.

"What's funny?" She asked. He put his hand behind his head to where you could see all his fingers sticking up. Rukia made a small smile and got up to see what he was talking about. She stood at the door, looking at the stack of papers. She saw red spikes sticking up from behind the papers. She started laughing. Renji peaked over the papers.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Heh, nothing." Rukia laughed.

"Whatever. Come help me get these papers off my desk. I finally finished." Rukia, still giggling, walked over to his desk and started taking papers off the desk and onto the small table. When this was done, Renji sat back in his chair. "Finally!" He looked over at Ichigo, who was still sleeping. "I wish I could sleep all day like he can."

"It's not good to sleep too much." Katsuya said. "Imma wake him up. It's like 3 now, right?" Katsuya walked over to Ichigo. He reached out to shake him.

Rukia and Renji remembered something. The situation reminded them of this. They remembered that they, once, tried to wake him up like this too. They thought it was weird for Ichigo just to be sleeping randomly in the park that day. It was somewhat random that he happened to fall asleep a few hours ago when they were trying to discuss the 'problem'. The waking of Ichigo the first time is close to what Katsuya was about to do. They remembered what happened to them too.

"Katsuya! Don't-"

...

Hollow Ichigo was pacing the buildings. He was doing this for a while. Zangestu was watching him as he did this. He was on the tallest building, observing. Every now and then, he would glance at the small black box and then back at the worried hollow. Ichigo's hollow would glance up at Zangetsu, like he was debating weather or not to go up to him or not. Zangetsu found this awkward.

He jumped buildings as he paced. He went in the same direction for about ten minutes, then retrace his steps. Like he was looking for something. It was like he was lost in thought.

After a while of this, Hollow Ichigo jumped from where he was onto the building Zangetsu was standing on. It surprised Zangetsu, but he didn't show any emotion. The hollow looked at the box and then at Zangetsu. He smiled. It wasn't his crazy killer smile, but a smile that wanted friendship. This creeped Zangetsu out.

"How are you Zangetsu?" Hollow Ichigo said with a calm tone.

"Fine." Zangetsu replied.

"That's wonderful!" There was an awkward silence. "I've been feeling weird lately. My headaches gone, but somethings not right."

"You are acting strangely again."

"I know that. I probably wouldn't be talking to you now if I was my normal self. I remember something Ichigo told me to tell you! He said to hi-" Hollow Ichigo froze. He didn't move or blink at all. Zangetsu sighed.

"What is this about?" He walked over to Hollow Ichigo and examined him. Nothing was out of the ordinary about him. He was just frozen. It was no different from the other times he froze. Or that's what he thought. Zangetsu saw a flash come from behind him. He turned to see the black box glowing. It flashed again. Zangetsu walked closer to it. It flashed two more times and then...

...

Ichigo opened his eyes.

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes and...? Review please!<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 11**

He smiled grabbing Katsuya's arm. There was a slapping sound when his hand made contact with the boys arm. This made Katsuya cry out.

"Yo," His smile grew wider, "Wassup?" His voice had gotten deeper and there was a slight change in his spiritual pressure. You could only detect it if you really payed close attention to it. Everyone knew that this wasn't Ichigo.

He stood up, still holding Katsuya. "Hey! I remember you two." Ren directed his attention to Rukia and Renji. "You're those people I saw at that Karakura place, right? Nice to see you again."

Ren seemed to have changed a bit. The last time he took control of Ichigo, there was an intense atmosphere. Now, his presence felt slightly relaxed. Why did it change?

Everyone was in shock. No one spoke besides the guy who took control of Ichigo. They didn't know what to say. They didn't know what Ren would do now that he's free of his constraints. His strength was combined with Ichigo's, so it was probably in his power to kill everyone in the room. Maybe not in one hit, but gradually. Not knowing his objective made their situation even more dangerous.

"Come on, someone speak. I feel like I'm talking to myself." No one spoke. "Ugh. If it helps, I'm not here to do anything to you." Ren pointed to Renji and Rukia. In a way, the two felt better.

Annoyed, he let go of Katsuya and walked over to Rukia. Katsuya fell, shaking. "My dear," He placed his hand on her head and bent down so they could see eye to eye. Moving the sunglasses on his head, he looked in Rukia's eyes. Her eyes widened at the sight of his hollow like eyes. She felt paralyzed. "Do you have anything to say?"

She shook her head slowly. "N-no."

"See. I knew talking was within your capabilities. It's not that hard. I'm not here to scare you." Ren looked up at Renji. "How 'bout you, Pineapple?"

"Hey! D-don't call me that!" Renji said angrily.

"We're making progress!" Ren clapped, stood up, and walked over to the door. He leaned on it. "It's not that hard. You got it." He smiled. "Now then, I'm out. Got things to do." He started walking out of the office.

"Wait!" Rukia said, snapping out of her shock.

"Huh?" He looked over his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Here voice was shaking. Those eyes shook her. She didn't like them looking at her, but she had to speak.

"Where? To look around of course. I have to figure out where I need to start my assignment. Don't worry I'll be back. I can't complete my first mission before I complete my second one. Any other questions, my dear?" Rukia just stared at him. He waved, moved his glasses over his eyes, and disappeared.

"Wait!" She started to run toward the door.

"Don't follow him." Katsuya managed to finally say, standing up. She stopped. "You don't know what he can do so I highly suggest that you not try and mess with him now." Katsuya had an unsure look on his face.

"What do you mean? We have to stop him!"

"What do you think will happen if you run up to him now and try to pick a fight? He's stronger now. Never go into battle without a plan! You should know that!"

"He's right." Renji added.

Rukia calmed down. "Okay, then what are we going to do?"

"Well, I don't know if we can do anything." Katsuya sighed. The two looked at him. "I mean, with a normal case to at least make Ren release control over a person for a short while, it all rides on the will of the soul reaper and... Wait wait wait! It's on the tip of my- no. I don't remember the other one."

"What do you mean you don't remember?" Renji asked.

"Let me rephrase that. I don't know the other one. Shu never told me. I know there was two things, but he never said what it was. Ren told me there was two too. They always leave me out of things! Anyways! Yeah, I don't know. We gotta do some guessing! Anyone have any ideas?"

"What do you mean by will? Will to not be taken over?" Rukia questioned.

"The will of the soul reaper to... I don't know. That was the second part, I think. Or part of the first. Ugh. Let's see let's see." Katsuya paced. While he was doing so, he saw someone walk past the door. He looked up to see who it is, but he was to late. The person went by as a black shadow. Katsuya sighed and continued with his business.

"Okay, time to get serious." The two soul reapers looked at him in confusion. The young boy sat on the floor. He got into a meditation like position and looked at Rukia and Renji.

"What are you doing?" Renji sighed.

"I'm taping into my inner me." They didn't say anything. "Hey! I can concentrate way better when I meditate. It's like how you soul reapers do. When you talk to your zanpakutos. It won't take long. Don't worry. You think of a way to knock some sense into Ichi. K?" Katsuya gave a smile and closed his eyes. The two started thinking of ways to stop Ren. At least for a while. If they couldn't completely get him out, they could at least delay his and Shu's plan.

The two couldn't shake the feeling that letting Ren escape was wrong. It wasn't really an escape. More like just letting him go. He basically saw himself out. Still, they felt that they did wrong. Katsuya did, however, have a good reason for them not to stop him. Ren did have a power boost now. It would be harder to fight him if they did cross swords. Rukia and Renji's power combined probably wouldn't be enough. Ichigo was strong already. They had no idea how much power Ren held, which makes it dangerous to approach him.

...

He landed after another flash step. This time he stayed on the roof he landed on for a while.

"Ugh. I know I'm in a new body, but it's so hard to move around." He stretched. He felt like he just put on a really tight costume. It was really hard to move. Even though he did use flash step, Ren didn't go as fast as he wanted to. It annoyed him, but aside from that, Ren was happy. He wasn't cooped up in that cube anymore. Or at least for a while. It was a change of scenery and there was a lot of places to go sight seeing. The Sereitei was very large. While Ren was working on finding his destination, he could also have a little fun. In fact, he wanted to prolong his stay in the Sereitei. Making the mission longer would mean that he could enjoy being free for more than a few minutes.

Ren started to jump the roofs again and looked around. He'd sometimes spin during a jump to make him go higher. He liked being in high places. It brought back memories. Something came to mind while thinking though. He was still in Ichigo's body, and he was ordered not to get him into too much trouble. Ren stopped on another roof top. Did someone see him? Would they come up to him if they did? He looked around to see if anyone was around. No one was in sight. He got lucky.

"This is no fun if I have to sneak around when I basically don't have to." Trying not to draw too much attention to himself was pretty hard. He couldn't do the stuff he wanted to do when he didn't know the personality of Ichigo. Sitting on the roof, a bunch of questioned popped in his head. _What if someone came up to me? Would I have to speak to them? What if they noticed the change in Ichigo's voice? Would they ask about it. How about my eyes? Would they get so close to where they could notice that my eyes look like hollow's eyes? Why did Ichigo's eyes change into hollow ones when I take them over? Am I a hollow? I'm off task. _

He had to do something about his voice. It was deeper than Ichigo's. And the eyes. The glasses won't keep them from being shown. "I forgot some of my powers. It's been a while sense I last used them. Now what were they...?" He thought for a while, playing with the tiles on the roof. They were rather clean. No dirt or stains on them what so ever. While he thought, something came across his mind. _Ichigo Kurosaki, 15 years old, Karakura High high school student, substitute_ _soul reaper, visored_. "Now I remember." Ren smiled. "The other ones must be convenient like this one. Maybe I can change the voice and eyes. It's possible if this is. Now how to do it."

Ren started trying to remember what Ichigo's voice sounded like. He knew it was higher than his, but kind of deep. He didn't pay that much attention to him speak. Ren started to speak out loud and adjust to Ichigo's voice by memory. One of his tries sounded pretty close, but he couldn't remember the exact sound. He decided to keep with the close one. It was recognizable enough to be Ichigo's. Ren felt pretty satisfied with this. Now for the eyes. He kept blinking to see if they would change. He wouldn't know if they did though, because he didn't have a mirror. If he took his sunglasses off, he'd be at risk of someone seeing the hollowfied eyes. He needed to see his reflection, but where would he find a mirror?

Jumping off the rooftop, Ren started to look around for something that he could see his reflection in. All he saw was walls. There had to be some building around the place that had a mirror. Sighing, he kept going.

...

Nothing came to mind.

Nothing at all.

Absolutely nothing.

It frustrated them. The two wanted to help Ichigo but they didn't want to hurt him. That's why they couldn't think of anything. Most of the things that happen in the Soul Society lead to fights, and Renji or Rukia didn't want to have to fight him. Was there another way to save Ichigo, or at least delay Ren? If only they had the knowledge Katsuya had. He seemed to know a lot about the situation at hand, but he doesn't seem to grasp the importance of it. Most of the time he acts like it's a game, but plays it seriously but childishly. You couldn't really blame him though. He is a kid after all.

Katsuya was still sitting on the floor, meditating. Rukia and Renji looked at him for a while. He didn't move or flinch at all. The kid was truly focusing. Maybe they would figure out what to do with Ren after all.

The duo didn't want to disturb him, but they were eager to go out and stop Ren. It was like waiting in line to see a person, object or movie they've been dieing to see for a very long time. All that could be done for the time being is to either wait or think about what to do.

"You have any ideas yet?" Rukia asked.

"No. You?" Renji replied.

"Nothing. We have no idea what his powers are or how to stop him and we can't think of anything. Hopefully Katsuya has something." The two sighed heavily. Renji started fiddling with one of his pens on his desk. After a while of doing this, he started to click the top of the pen repeatedly. This got on Rukia's nerves, but she didn't say anything.

"Ahhh..." Katsuya yawned, falling backwards. He opened his eyes lazily, looking up at the two. "What's up?" The two looked at him, happy he was talking again.

"Figure anything out?" Rukia had an eager look on her face.

"Actually, I did. The first part was that it depended on the soul reapers will to not be controlled. Or how badly they didn't want Ren to be in control of their bodies. So basically it depends on how much Ichi wants his body back. So you were right Chappy." Katsuya yawned.

"That makes sense."

"Yeah. Although, there is one slight problem." The two soul reapers raised their brows. "Ichi is sleeping. He can't do anything while sleeping. We could try to wake him up, but I don't know how that's going to work. Speaking of that, when Ichi was controlled the first time, he was asleep right?"

"Yeah, or he appeared to be. We really don't know what happened. Ichigo never told us that part." Renji said.

"Hm. When Ren left Ichi, he was awake. Or maybe starting to wake up. Who knows. But judging from this, the problem, for now, will be solved by just getting Ichi to wake up. Not knowing his powers, how are we going to go about this.?" Katsuya gave a lazy smile.

Everyone thought. How were they suppose to wake someone that wasn't in control of their body? It probably isn't as easy as waking someone up by splashing water on them. Ichigo would probably just have to wake up on his own. But they didn't know how long that would take. The situation is unpredictable.

"I'll take anything." Katsuya said, "We need to go on something. At least try something. Anyone have any ideas. No matter how crazy, we'll try it. I seriously can't think of anything."

"Well, how do you wake someone up?" Rukia asked.

"By shaking them, yelling at them, hitting them, stuff like that. Why?"

"We could try waking him by doing those things. I mean, we don't want to pick a fight with him, but it looks that way."

"I guess so... Let's go then!" Katsuya got to his feet and started toward the door.

"Katsuya, how are we going to go about attacking him? We can't just charge in and hope for the best."

"Uh... I don't know. I was gonna wing it. I don't have any awesome special powers so, I thought you two could think of something on the way. Besides, we have no idea what he is doing now, so it's kind of hard to make a plan. We don't know his motives either, which makes it even harder."

"Alright then," Renji said, "I guess we have to wing it." Katsuya smiled and walked out the door. The other two followed him.

"Yay! A Ren Ichi hunt!"

...

Walls. Walls. More walls. They were endless. He hasn't seen a building for a while now. It was really annoying to Ren. He was looking for a mirror, not a solid opaque cement wall.

"Okay, if I see another wall when I turn this corner I'm seriously going to-" His eyes narrowed. Someone was on the other side of that wall. It was a somewhat strong presence, but compared to him, not really. It wasn't intimidating either.

Peeking around the corner, he saw a couple soul reapers. One in particular had a white jacket on; or something that looked like it. The jacket was cut off at the shoulders though, so there were no sleeves. The number 9 was printed on the back of the jacket. _That must be the captain of squad 9._ He had short spiky black hair. It was similar to Ichigo's hair. This man was with two other soul reapers. The captain had his back facing toward Ren, so the face was unknown.

Ren moved his way back around the corner, away from the soul reapers. The captain looked familiar. Ren didn't recognize the guy, but he did look familiar. Maybe it was Ichigo who knew this person. Ren searched the teens memory to see if this was true. Sure enough, he did know him. Shuhei Hisagi.

"Damn," Ren whispered to himself, "I don't want to talk to him right now." Ren sighed and prepared to jump a few walls to get away from him when someone peeked around the corner at him.

"Ichigo?" A voice came from the corner.

_Damn_.

"Hey! I thought I heard someone over here."

"Oh, uh, yeah." Ren said in Ichigo's voice.

"How's your day going so far?"

"Good. I met most of my squad a few hours ago. How about your day?"

"My day? It's been pretty busy, but it's been great. Since I don't have a captain, I have no lieutenant. Naturally I'd be the one doing both the lieutenant's and captain's work, but my third seat is handling the lieutenant's work. It's a load off my back." Shuhei smiled.

"That's good. I haven't done any work yet. Well, I'm not suppose to, but I feel like I need to."

"If you want something to do, then come to squad 9. We always have work to do there." He chuckled.

Ren laughed. "I'll think about it." There was a silence.

"I have a question, Ichigo." Shuhei asked.

"What's up?"

"Why are you wearing sunglasses? It's not that sunny outside. The sun is beginning to go down actually."

Ren twitched at the question. Why was he wearing the glasses? He couldn't say he was wearing them to cover his hollowfied eyes. Shuhei would probably attack him.

"Why? Just to try something new. That's all."

"Cool." Shuhei smiled. "Well, I have to return to the squad. I still have to finish my work. Just getting some air." Ren nodded and the muscular soul reaper flashed away.

He gave a big sigh. He wasn't use to acting like Ichigo. Even though their personalities were a bit similar. Ichigo had something special. Ren was more informal with people, no matter what class they were in but he does have an extensive vocabulary. Ichigo doesn't go all the way when he speaks to someone of higher class. He's also caring and will do anything for his friends. Ren, however, doesn't go that far for his friends. Only for one person in particular.

Ren turned the corner he was peeking around and continued his search.

X

"Well this sucks. I can't find anything to look at myself in. What a pain." Ren walked around for a while. He started jumping buildings and walls, but stopped when he realized people could be staring. He didn't want to go in a building now either, thinking it through, because he didn't want to have to talk to anyone not unless it was necessary. "I could go out of the Sereitei, but I'll draw attention to myself. This isn't a very fun task. Hopefully it'll get better soon."

He turned another corner, which led to an opening. It was a very open space. There were stairs on the other side. They looked very long, and led to a different level of the place.

The sun was making the sky a orange-ish red color while it was setting. The sky was getting darker too. It was getting pretty late. _Ugh. Such a pain. _Ren sighed and looked around. There was no point of him searching the place at night. He'd have to start when it was daytime. Ren also couldn't go back to Renji's office, because they were probably still there. _I'll just go back to Ichigo's office_. Ren took a deep breath and put his hand on his head.

"What are you doing here Kurosaki?" A voice came from behind.

"Eh?" Ren replied, turning around to see a small white haired soul reaper. He had a bang over his left eye. The young looking soul reaper had a badge on his arm also. He had a sash around his shoulder that held a sword. His sword. He wore a serious look on his face.

"Oh, Lieutenant Hitsugaya..." Toshiro narrowed his eyes. Ren blinked. "What?"

"Nothing. You don't usually call me that."

"I'm just giving you more respect now, because I'm a captain and all. You don't mind, right?" He smiled.

"Uh. No, that's fine."

"Okay then." Toshiro looked at him suspiciously. Ren had a confused look on his face.

"What are you doing out here? Your a bit far from your squad barracks." He repeated.

"Well I kind of got lost... You know, with all the corners and stuff..." This was basically true for the both of them. Ren was already lost when he first stepped foot in the Soul Society in Ichigo's body. Ichigo just could get lost easily without being guided by someone that knows the place well.

"What are you doing here, Hitsugaya?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, usually when I'm here, I don't see you roaming around."

"I'm not 'roaming around'. I'm doing something called my job. Your the one roaming around." Toshiro had an annoyed look on his face. He looked like he was getting impatient. "Even though I'm not a captain as of now, I still have to do some of my duties. Also, Rangiku isn't awake at the moment."

"I see." Ren scratched his head. "Well, I'll just be going now. It's getting kind of late and apparently I shouldn't be here according to you." He started walking in a random direction.

"Hold up Kurosaki." Toshiro said. "I have another question for you." Ren stopped and turned a bit toward him, twitching. He didn't want to talk to him anymore. Even though it was prolonging his mission, he didn't want to spend his time talking to people. Ren really did have to get back to Ichigo's office though. No sense searching in the dark.

"What's up?"

"Who are you, really?"

The question stunned him for a second. A bunch of questions whirled in his mind as well. He didn't know whether to just go along with it as Ichigo, or just admit that he wasn't Ichigo. In the end, his cover was blown. Out of these two choices, he chose this one:

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb. I know your not really him."

_I__s he trying to trick me? I can't tell!_

"Why don't you think I'm not myself?"

"Because of the first thing you said to me."

"The first I said to you was 'Eh?'."

Toshiro was growing more impatient. "The second thing you said to me then. 'Lieutenant Histugaya.' Ichigo would never call me that. Even if he is a higher rank then I am. He doesn't use the titles, captain or lieutenant. He's always informal to everyone. Ichigo only uses my first name." He basically got him there.

"Ugh. I can't be too formal or informal with people can I? This kid..."

"Don't make me repeat myself."

Ren cocked his head to the side. "Fine, fine. My name's Ren. Nice ta met ya, Toshiro." He laughed a bit. Toshiro put his hand on his sword. "Come now, I don't want to cause a fight. I'm here on important business. I was ordered not to draw attention to myself."

"Orders? From who?"

"Like I'll tell you."

"Then it seems I'll have to beat it out of you."

Ren sighed. "Heh, you won't live long enough to get it out of me." Toshiro drew his sword and took his stance.

* * *

><p>Finally a battle. Who'll win? Review please!<p> 


	12. Chapter 12

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 12**

The three set out on their hunt for Ren. It was getting dark, so they had to hurry. If it became morning and some squad members or even the squad 13 lieutenant showed up at his office and he wasn't there, a lot of questions would be asked. They had to at least convince Ren to go back to his office, just for the night. He probably wouldn't listen though.

They didn't know which direction to go from squad 6. He could be anywhere. The trio didn't want to split up to find him either. It was too risky. Even though Ren said he wasn't going to hurt Rukia or Renji, he didn't say anything about Katsuya. If what the trio thinks is true about the situation, Katsuya could be in danger.

The group decided to take a right out of squad 6. They were basically running. No time could be wasted on walking.

"So you think that's the case?" Renji asked

"Yeah. He only pointed to you two, and I'm pretty sure Shu wants me out of the way to get his plan in motion. I'm basically the pop up error in his program. I know almost everything about him and Ren. In a way, if I thought about it, then I could probably predict their moves. I'm not certain what they are doing now though." Katsuya explained.

"Ren was talking about two assignments. One must be getting rid of you. You have any ideas about the other one?" Rukia looked at Katsuya.

"No, I don't. Shu only shared the happy memories he had with me. He rarely told me any problems he had."

They turned a corner. And another.

The Sereitei was truly a maze. If you were unfamiliar with the place, you'd definitely get lost.

"What was the other thing a soul reaper had to do to regain their control of their body?"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that one." Katsuya took a breathe. "It's the soul reapers will and basically Ren having his guard down." The two soul reapers looked at him with confused faces. "Ren has to have his guard down. When I say down, I mean way way down. He can't be focusing or thinking about the person he's controlling. It's the only way to regain control. Ichi has to wake up then wait for the moment when Ren isn't focusing on him and strike. The thing is, there's no way of knowing when Ichi will wake up, or if he is awake. We have to attack and hope for the best."

"This isn't going to be easy..." Rukia sighed.

Katsuya was amazingly keeping up with Renji and Rukia. He didn't even look tired. That made the two wonder, who was Katsuya. He doesn't talk about himself that much despite how much the kid talks. They wanted to ask him, but everyone needed to focus on the task at hand.

The sun was still up. They sky was a mix of orange, red, and yellow, painted with white-ish yellow clouds. It was setting ever so slowly. Working in the trios favor. For now anyway. They really needed a lead to where Ren was at. If only that was in their favor.

"Come on! Come on! Let's go!" Katsuya shouted, jumping up on a roof. Rukia and Renji followed him in disbelief. They didn't know he could do that, let alone keep up with them. It brought up more suspicion about who Katsuya was. They shook the thoughts and continued. Searching for Ichigo's spiritual pressure. They couldn't find it. There was no trace what so ever. This made it harder for them to find him.

...

Toshiro charged at Ren, sword held high. He was ready to fight him. Ren watched as he ran toward him. He then held out his arm and hand. Not knowing what would happen, Toshiro stopped and moved out of the way of Ren's hand. He waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Ren looked at him curiously.

"What? Nothings going to fly out of my hand. I was just going to tell you to stop."

"Why?"

"Because, I want to make a little change. To our battle field, of course. It's a minor one, I assure you." The ex captain listened curiously.

"What is this 'minor change'? Are you going to change the place where we're fighting?"

"No no. Instead of explaining it to you, I'll just show you."

Ren grabbed at the air around him and acted like he was spinning something in his hand. Toshiro watched, keeping his guard up. A few seconds of spinning this invincible object, he walked past Toshiro, dragging the unknown object behind him. It created sparks and a scratching sound as he walked along. Ren went to the large set of stairs and shoved whatever he was holding into the ground. When he did this, the object became visible. It looked to be a normal sword. A sword used by normal soul reapers.

"What did you just do?" Toshiro asked. He knew that Ren just stuck a sword into the pavement, but he knew there was more to it. Something was going to happen.

"Wait for it..." Ren snapped his finger. The sword started to glow red. Then a beam of light shot out from the hilt. It went straight up to a certain height. After this, something started to spread out from the light. It covered the area they were in and parts of their surroundings, including the area at the top of the stair case. The translucent red light looked like a dome around an arena. Maybe even like a barrier. It looked like it met the ground on every side that was visible to the two. The barrier's light faded away after a few seconds of being visible.

Ren smiled. "Okay then." Toshiro looked on in shock. "I think I know what your thinking. 'What did he just do? Create a force field of some sort? Will it hurt me?' Am I right?" The short soul reaper didn't say anything. "Well It is sort of like a force field. It cuts off any connections from the outside. The barrier makes it so this area is invisible. Not invisible like the whole space is gone, but any damage to the area that we do won't be seen from the outside until I take the sword out of the ground. Also, it makes it so that no one can sense our spiritual pressure besides the two of us. Anyone who steps into the area will not be affected by these terms. They'll carry on their duties, but we can see them pass by, and harm them if we wanted to. And the barrier won't hurt you in any way. Not unless I throw you at it and you hit it. It's basically getting thrown into a steel wall. That thing hurts. Trust me."

"Was this really necessary?" Toshiro asked.

"Yes. I don't want you trying to run off further then I know where you are. I assure you, you'll want to try and run when I start attacking. It's your fault for forcing me into battle though." Ren shrugged.

"I won't try and run."

"Good. It'll make it easier on me. Also, I want to take back what I said earlier. I can't kill you. I'll leave you alive, because your not my target."

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. "Target?"

"Yes, targets." Ren said annoyed. "Let's get started shall we?" Toshiro gave a small smile and nodded.

"I won't go easy on you, even if that is Kurosaki's body."

"Heh, I hope you don't go easy. I want you to give it your all. Like your life and your dearest friend's life depended on it. If you do that, I'll do the same."

_Momo..._Toshiro narrowed his eyes, and charged at Ren. Ren's smile widened at this and he started running for the ex captain. He pulled something out of Ichigo's uniform and clashed with Toshiro. To Hitugaya's surprise, it was another sword. It looked normal, like the one he shoved in the ground. Nothing special. He wanted to say how weak the sword looked, but he didn't know what kind of power it held.

They jumped apart from each other. Ren came in, sword ready. He still had a big smile on his face. He looked a bit too happy for someone who didn't want to fight. He slashed at Toshiro, but missed. Toshiro had jumped in the air to avoid the attack. Looking up, Ren followed him, ready to strike. His sword made contact with Hitsugaya's. Sparks flew. Ren disconnected their blades and hit Toshiro's one more time. As hard as he could for the moment. The strength overwhelmed him and sent him flying into the ground. Toshiro slammed into the cement, leaving a dent. Rocks had broken from this fall and dust had been stirred up from beneath the rocks.

Ren laughed. "Ha! This is fun. Even though we just started! That wasn't even my all yet, so you better not be out already!"

The dust wasn't settling out. It was thick and spreading throughout the area. There was no sign of movement at the center of the dust cloud. This led Ren to believe that the battle was over. He knew it couldn't of been over that quick though. "Don't mess around!" He scanned the dust cloud. He turned around and looked. No one was there. " Don't play dead! Come out Hitsuga-YA!" He felt a sharp pain in his, or Ichigo's, shoulder. He turned around quickly. No one was there. He frantically searched the brown blanket of dust and dirt, but he couldn't spot a shadow. The cloud was rising up toward him."This is just cowardly! Come at me face to face!"He kept searching, but saw nothing. Then a black shadow approached him and clashed swords with him.

"It's not cowardly, It's strategy. I'm using the cloud of dust to my advantage. Besides, you should of been able to sense me coming." Ren gave him a disgusted look. He should of been able to detect him, but he didn't. Why was it that he couldn't?

"Damn it!"Ren broke away from Toshiro and went back to the ground, through the cloud of dust. Toshiro was close behind.

He landed and held his sword up sideways and waited for Toshiro to strike. Sure enough, he busted through the dust cloud and their swords made contact. Ren pushed away from him and moved back a few steps.

"What's the matter?" Toshiro asked.

"Nothing." He put his hand on the place where he had gotten cut at. It didn't hurt a lot.

Ren wondered why he couldn't sense the ex captain in the dust. He was really good at detecting spiritual pressure. Why could he all of a sudden not be able to find it? _I'm borrowing Kurosaki's spirit energy, I know that, but I should of been able to sense him. Have I borrowed some other things from him?_

He charged for the small soul reaper and slashed repeatedly at his sword. All Toshiro could do was block the attacks. They were coming so fast, he didn't have room to strike back. Ren was hitting his sword so hard, Toshiro was sliding backward with every hit. He didn't let up for a second. When he finally did though, he tried to slash Toshiro on his side, but he missed. He used flash step to move behind Ren and tried to hit him on his back, but noticed something. Ichigo's sword was still on his back. There was no way for him to inflict Ren with damage if Ichigo's sword was there. He had to figure out how to remove the sword or he would just have to attack from the front.

He continued his attack on Ren. Not able to get a clear shot on his back, he aimed for his shoulder; the one that he didn't cut earlier. Ren flashed out of the way in time to miss his attack. He came in above Toshiro and came down on his shoulder. The sword went about an inch into his shoulder before Ren moved to get out of the way of Toshiro's blade. He placed his hand on his bleeding shoulder and looked at Ren.

"Hey, I finally cut you." He smiled and shook his sword to get the blood off. It splattered on the ground beside him. Toshiro watched as he did so. "Round two!" Ren flashed out of sight. Toshiro braced himself.

"Reign over the frosted heavens! Hyorimaru!" He said quickly, jumping into the air. He then made ice come out of the tip of his sword and created an ice dragon. Toshiro made it circle around him and he looked around. Ren appeared behind him and slashed at the ice around the soul reaper. It cracked but didn't break. Toshiro turned around and raised his sword. He then brought it down in Ren's direction, which made the ice dragon go in his direction. Ren flashed away but not fast enough. The dragon smashed into him and guided him into a wall next to the stair case. The ice froze over Ichigo's body and held it in place.

Toshiro gave a breath and placed his feet back on the ground. He kept his distance from Ren. He couldn't kill him because he needed to question him. Somehow he would have to unfreeze his head, but that could be dangerous. Toshiro would have to keep him in a different kind of restraint for that.

Ren was frozen with his sword in front of him. He had a serious look on his face mixed with irritation. Ren tried breaking free from the ice. He used all the strength he could to try and break it. The ice only cracked though, which caught Toshiro's attention. _Damn. I didn't want to use it now. We're not even fired up yet. How annoying.  
><em>

Toshiro began another attack on the frozen Ichigo. The attack wouldn't be enough to kill him, but enough for him to take him in for questioning.

He raised Hyorimaru in the air and created an ice dragon. The second one he's made in this battle. Toshiro then pointed his sword at Ren.

_'Manifest! ...!'_

The second dragon soared through the air at high speed. It was coming for the big frozen patch on the wall. When the dragon finally made contact, the ice and wall exploded. Toshiro watched as he won. "You were all talk." He waited for the mist to settle and started walking toward the wreckage. Toshiro still had his guard up. There was this feeling that he didn't quite win yet.

There was a sudden movement in the debris of ice. He jumped back and took his battle stance. Toshiro heard a laugh. It wasn't Ichigo's. Regardless, any laugh that was given as of now wasn't his, but the voice had gotten deeper. It sounded like a true evil laugh.

A part of the ice exploded and a figure, supposedly Ichigo's, rose from it. As he did so his laugh got louder.

"You can't get rid of me that easily." Ren walked out of the wreckage. He was about five feet away from where Toshiro was standing. There was some damage done to Ichigo's body. Aside from the damage he took earlier, there was a tear in his uniform which had been stained red. His uniform also had tiny tears in other places, but he wasn't bleeding there. Ren and Ichigo's swords were gone too, as well as his glasses. Toshiro looked at him in disbelief.

"This is what sets me apart from soul reapers." He pointed to his eyes. "Also, my odd power, which I will happily demonstrate for you." A necklace appeared around Ichigo's neck. It had a small silver cube attached to it.

"W-what are you? How did you..?"

"Nothing you should worry about at the moment. You really don't need to know anyways."

Ren appeared behind Toshiro and grabbed the back of his head. He then threw him up to the next level of the Seireitei. This all happened before Toshiro knew it. He flipped to where the bottom of his feet were facing the ground and tried to get his footing on the air while dodging buildings. It slowed him down, but he wasn't able to completely stop himself before bumping into a building. He didn't hit it as hard as he thought he would, but it cracked a part of the building.

Ren's throw threw him far. From where he stood, it looked like Ren threw him to the center of the maze of buildings. Had he gotten stronger? Toshiro felt a lot more force put into his throw then when he pushed him down into the pavement. Did this have something to do with Ren's voice change and the swords disappearing? He couldn't figure out what happened.

He appeared on top of the building in front of Toshiro. Looking down with a devilish smile and glare.

"I'm afraid this might be my 'all out'. I'm not sure though. In case it is, you probably should release your bankai. One, for your safety, and two for my enjoyment. If you don't, I might actually kill you." Ren smirked.

"I won't use my bankai unless I need it. I also don't take requests from the likes of you!"

Ren's smile vanished. "The likes of me? My child, I'm telling you to save your life. I was not ordered to kill you. I can't control this power as of now. If I was in my true form maybe, but right now, I can't. This is a very unstable power, so I'm just warning you now. Like I said before though, I won't hold back."

_True form? _Toshiro thought to himself. Ren jumped off the building and held his hand out to Toshiro. In response to this, Toshiro slashed the air with Hyorimaru. The dragon reappeared and froze in front of him. He backed up and jumped into the air. Ren flew through the crystallized water and up toward Toshiro. Ren grabbed his leg and slammed him into a building. Then he let him go. Toshiro grunted as he landed on top of a building. Ren was standing over him.

"Bankai?" Ren said. Toshiro glared at him and flashed away. He refused to use his bankai. Now that Ichigo's sword disappeared from his back, he could finally land a blow on him. Ren's strength made up for the absence of Zangetsu. Toshiro knew though, that he would soon be using his bankai.

He reappeared behind Ren and tried to cut his back. Ren moved out of the way in time for the attack to miss. He turned around and grabbed Hyorimaru's blade. The sword cut into his hand, which didn't bother him that much. He tried to yank the zanpakuto out of Toshiro's hands, but he had a firm grip. After a minute of tug of war, Ren's right hand started to get cold. He looked down to see that his hand was freezing. He narrowed his eyes and took his hand off Toshiro's blade. Ren staggered back and examined his frozen limb. The ice had crept up his arm a good ways toward his shoulder. His hand was completely frozen and his arm was beginning to follow his hands example.

Breaking the ice, Ren looked at the limb. He couldn't feel it. His arm was numb. The arm felt like a heavy piece of meat attached to his body. He could probably slap Toshiro with it, but it might not do anything.

Ren charged toward Toshiro, left arm stretched. He started throwing punches at the soul reaper. Toshiro blocked with his sword as best he could to avoid being hit. He couldn't dodge them all though. Ren was too fast despite his unusable right arm.

Ren brought his leg around and kicked him down toward the concrete. Taken by surprise, he blinked and tried to stop himself before he hit the ground. Toshiro was going to fast to even turn around. The ground was coming up fast. Ren was on his way down to hit him some more also.

"Man, if this doesn't make you use bankai," he took out a sword from his sleeve and dangled it in front of himself as he descended toward Toshiro. "your tough." Ren let go of it and kicked it down. Five more manifested in front of him and he repeatedly kicked them downward. The swords were coming down as fast as the ground was coming up towards him.

Toshiro moved his sword up as best he could, going against the force around him. "Hyorimaru!" He cried as a dragon formed. He waved his zanpakuto and commanded the dragon to freeze onto the two buildings he was falling in between. The dragon did what it was guided to do and connected itself on the buildings. It created a thick sheet of ice. It looked sort of like a bridge.

He observed the quick thinking and looked sort of impressed. "That's smart kid. But ice always cracks." The first sword Ren sent out came down on the thick sheet of ice with incredible speed. It cracked and broke. The sword then slowed down a bit, letting the other five race past it. Ren caught up with the slowest sword and grabbed it. As soon as he did that, he sent it spinning, flying once again to join the other five. Ren gave a big smile and followed close behind the projectiles.

He was about ten seconds away from hitting the ground and ten seconds away from getting ran through with several swords. He had no choice. If he didn't do it, he'd smash into the ground and then be impaled with six swords. He gave out a sigh.

"Bankai!" Toshiro said resentfully.

Ren started laughing.

* * *

><p>Review! ^^ By the way, I meant for Ren to say target and then say targets. He corrected himself. Just a heads up.<p> 


	13. Chapter 13

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 13**

"Daiguren Hyorimaru!" Icy wings started to form on his back and a tail came from them. Toshiro's legs, feet, arms, and hands turned to ice. His finger and toe nails were like claws, his hands gripping his sword tightly.

As fast as he said the name of his bankai, Toshiro let his wings spread out, slowing him down a bit. The only flaw in this plan was that the swords easily caught up with him. As the ground approached him, he slashed his sword in the air. "Hyoriyu Senbi!" Waving his sword, he did the best he could to create a sort of slide below him on one of the buildings. Toshiro then created a shield with his wings, letting them curl around his body. He then rolled onto the ice slide he made and slid down it with ease, just in time to miss the six swords pierce the ground.

Uncovering himself from his wings, he looked at the damage done. The swords were positioned in a circle. The blades were basically all the way in the pavement. Only a quarter of the sharp objects were visible. Each blade made a clean cut into the ground. Toshiro imagined what it would of felt like if the six swords penetrated his body like they did the ground.

Leaning a bit, Toshiro looked at the six hilts. They were the basic colors of the rainbow; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and a purple-ish violet color. It was a random observation. He couldn't help but notice it.

An explosion occurred in the ring of swords. Dust stirred and then settled. Laughs reached Toshiro's ears. Devilish laughs.

Ren appeared to be a black shadow as he stood in the middle of the sword ring. The sun was still setting. As slow as ever, making the sunlight fade. It was beginning to get harder to see where they were going. The battle needed to end soon. Real soon.

"You know the kick I just did?" Ren asked. shaking his right arm, trying to get the blood flowing again.

"Yeah." The pain to Toshiro's side where Ren kicked started to throb. Some of his ribs were broken, he could tell that. Toshiro put his hand on the spot, but it stung when he put his hand on it.

"Ha." Ren laughed watching the young soul reaper try to deal with his side. "Just to inform you, I'm a percent freak. Anything that I guess at, I'll turn it into a percent. So, I'll tell you the strength I used in that kick was about 85%. 85 or 90. If it was 90% then that's as strong as my attacks will get. You see, I can't really regulate my strength at the moment, due to the fact that this is my first time using this body. I mean, I've talked to the kid before, but not controlled him. Well once actually, but not for long. A couple minutes maybe." Ren scratched his head.

Toshiro hoped that his kick was at its limit. If he got hit a few more times or got kicked in his spine with a direct hit, he wouldn't be able to move at all. However, the damage wasn't fatal. He noticed that Ren was keeping his word in not trying to kill him. A couple of ribs broken and a cut in the shoulder was the least bit threatening. The cut he had stopped bleeding, so that wouldn't affect Toshiro anymore. His major organs were safe from being punctured due to the fact that Ren didn't have a sword in hand anymore. He's not using the ones he has now, so it was safe to assume that Ren wouldn't be slashing at him anymore.

Ren's hand was a different story. He could shove it in Toshiro at anytime and probably tear up and out his insides if he so desired. He showed no signs of this though. This was all before Toshiro used bankai though. Things might change now.

Ren pulled each sword up from the pavement, but didn't fully take them out of the ground. He leaned on the sword behind him, the one with the red hilt, and sighed.

"Now... Pick a sword. Any colored sword." Ren told Toshiro.

"Huh? Why?"

"Why? Because, it'll determine the battle conditions. You have to pick one. You won't get to keep it or hold it though."

Toshiro looked at him, confused a bit. "What if I say no to picking a color?"

Ren gave a big smile and began to speak. "Then I'll choose one, and you won't like my choice. I guarantee it. I'd be careful on which one you pick. After you select one, I'll tell you which color means which."

Toshiro thought. He might as well choose a color. There was no reason not to besides the fact that he didn't know what each one meant. It was better then letting Ren choose. He'd pick the worst color. Toshiro had a one in six chance of getting the worst possible one. Or so he thought.

_Let's put this logically. If the conditions of the battle determine how Ren will fight, there must be some sort of trend. Red usually means that something is incorrect, so that one he would probably pick. Green_ _is usually used for things that are good. Confirmations._ _Orange and yellow are sort of a warning. I'm not sure about the other colors. What if I'm thinking too hard about it. What if I'm wrong? Maybe I should __guess. _

"Don't think to hard, just take a guess. Depending on what you pick, I might let you choose again... Might."

"I choose..."_ I really hope I make the right choice._ "blue." The color was one that he liked. It was basically a color for ice and water. Despite the fact that water and ice were clear, on paper, most of the time the ice is blue. It also resembles cold or cool temperatures. He hated the heat, so blue was a good color. He hoped it was a good color in this case.

"Blue..." Ren paused. "Final decision?"

He nodded. "Yes."

"Good." Ren pulled the red sword out of the ground and dangled it in front of himself. "Red was the color that ended the battle. If you did pick this color, the battle would of ended automatically and I would take down the barrier and go away." Toshiro twitched.

After he said this, the sword vanished. He continued by grabbing the orange hilt. "Orange will stop the battle, but it will resume at a later date. In other words, it's like putting a bookmark in a really good book. After your tired of reading the first time, you come and read it again at a later time. In a way orange sounds good along with red, but in my opinion, its not. The catch to this is that when we resume battle, all the wounds we've received will come back, like in a paused video game." After orange vanished he picked up yellow. Most likely the process of each sword vanishing after he was done explaining what the color did would repeat for all the swords.

"Yellow gives you the decision to end the fight or continue. This sword also gives you another chance at picking another color, other than yellow of course, if you decide to continue the fight. Green is kind of like a gambling color. We gamble on something that's reasonable. Like in this case, you'd probably say that if you won, I'd have to answer all of your questions. I'd say that if I won, you'd help me in reaching my targets. Blue..." He smiled. "Let's me go all out. The battle just continues, but in this case right now, I'd get about a 5% power boost." Ren switched the sword from his left hand to his right, which was slowly regaining feeling.

"Purple means that your dead. I'll kill you on the spot. The swords allow me to go through with what you picked. So if you picked purple, I'd fight and kill you with that sword alone. I usually ask people if they are truly sure about purple. I don't like one hit kills, so I hate this ability, or the color purple. Maybe both."

He didn't know if he was either relieved to hear that his sword didn't mean that much harm to him, or mad that he didn't think about the other colors more thoroughly. Despite this, he was lucky he didn't pick purple.

"Any questions on the terms of this battle?" Ren asked happily.

"No. I got it."

"Good. Now, give me your all like you said you would when we first began the fight. You'll have to anyways to stay in one piece." Ren said in a whispered hiss. Toshiro narrowed his eyes and gave a small mocking smile. The two vanished.

...

"No luck at all! Where is he? We've looked almost everywhere!" Katsuya pouted as he sat on a roof. They had absolutely no luck in finding Ren. Little that they knew, they wouldn't find him any time soon.

Renji and Rukia stood beside the seated child and thought. They searched almost every inch of the Seireitei and couldn't find a trace of him at all. The worse part in all of their trouble was that the day was getting close to an end. Searching in the dark was the last thing they wanted to do. Sneak attacks could be easily done in the cover of darkness. Even though there would be few lights on, it was still dangerous. However, they couldn't let Ren run free. Especially in Ichigo's body.

"Katsuya," Rukia called.

The little boy looked up with a bored expression on his face, eyebrow raised.

"Is there anyway for Ren to suddenly relinquish control over Ichigo without doing it on purpose?"

Katsuya looked up and then at Rukia. "I don't think so. Usually Ren chooses when he wants to leave. Him or Shu."

"What if that were possible? Do you think it would randomly disconnect the two and have Ichigo standing there trying to figure out what he was doing or would he just drop unconscious?"

"Like I said before, I don't know. I think I know what your getting at though. What your trying to say is that if Ren were to randomly stop controlling Ichi, would that cause Ichi's spiritual pressure to vanish for a period of time whether he was conscious or unconscious? Am I right?"

"Sort of, yeah."

"Ok. That could be possible. I mean, I never thought or heard about that happening to him before. Then again, Shu and Ren could of been feeding me lies this whole time. I found out about one of their plans a few weeks ago. I've known Shu for four years and Ren for three. When I walked in on one of their conversations, they couldn't make up an excuse, so they just told me everything. I couldn't really comprehend it at the time, but I was pretty mad about them not telling me, so I left them for a while. That's when they started planning for this stunt I assume."

Katsuya looked at Rukia and then Renji. They didn't look like they were going to say anything, so he continued. They seemed to want to hear this story.

"I had to stay in the World of the Living for about two or three weeks because of school. And some hobo kidnapped me... Don't ask... When I got out of school I came back here, and went back to the base/hideout thing. No one was in the top level, so I went to the underground area. I found a note on the big screen and it said that they would be away for a few days. If I wanted to stay alone I could, I just couldn't make a mess or get into any of Shu's papers. I wanted to investigate what they told me, so I went into Ren's room, and looked around for anything that would tell me if they were hiding anything else."

"Did you find anything?" Renji asked.

"In fact, I did. Since Ren was created by Shu and I guess you could say I partially helped, we had to see if he was working right. Shu came up with a type of question sheet/survey for him. I had no say in it. You know, I met Ren while he was filling out that sheet. Never saw what was on there though."

...

The room was colored with brown. The walls had wood patterns painted on them. Pictures hung from every wall of the living room sized room. There was a lit stone fireplace on the back wall with more pictures of the two people who lived at the residence, or seemed to. A black table was set in the middle of the room with three matching chairs. A brown couch was placed in front of the fireplace.

On this couch laid a small boy. He slept peacefully under a black and white blanket, head rested on the arm rest of the couch. The fire was supporting the blanket with its warmth.

Behind the couch sat a man. He was sitting, back facing the couch, on a chair at the table. Blue fine tipped pen in hand, the mid twenties looking man wrote. The paper he was writing on had questions on them. He filled them out to his fullest ability, boredly. Every once in a while, he would bite the pen, trying to figure out how to answer a question. He'd also scratch his head, getting mad at them.

Flipping the paper over, he continued the endless questions. 'What is your goal in life? How old are you? Do you know why you're here? What is your earliest memory? Do you know what abilities you have? What's your favorite past time? Do you have any friends? If so, what are their names? Describe what they look like.' He wanted to rip up the paper.

After getting half way down the page, he heard a movement from somewhere in the room. Biting down on the pen, he looked around, flipping his hair out of his face. Narrowing his eyes, he turned in his chair, directing his attention to the couch. Nothing was there, to what he saw. He rested his chin on the back of the chair, rolling the pen in his mouth.

Another movement was heard. It sounded like clothing being shuffled.

The sound was definitely coming from the couch. About to get up, he saw something rise from behind the couch. It peeked over. It looked to be a blanket. Someone was under there of course.

Staying in his spot, the man stared at the blanket, waiting for whoever or whatever was under there to come out and show itself. Whatever was under the blanket watched him, not moving.

Hands popped out from under the black and white blanket. They went to where eyes should be, and started to rub there. The blanket slid from the body it was on to reveal a dark brown haired boy. He looked very young. The boy yawned, still rubbing his eyes. When he stopped, he stared at the man lazily. The man was still starring at him, chin rested on the back of the chair biting the pen.

The little boy put his hands on the back of the couch and pulled himself up more. He basically pulled himself up to a stand. When his eyes opened wider from getting use to the lighting of the room, he cocked his head sideways.

"Who're you?" He asked.

The man grabbed the pen from out of his mouth and was silent for a second. He was thinking. Who was he? When he got here, in this place, no one had spoken to him. The person who brought him in this room didn't speak to him at all. He handed him the papers with questions on them and a pen, and left the room and closed the door. He was clueless, and yet, he filled out the sheet like he knew what he was doing. He didn't remember anything about himself, if anything, until he were asked the questions on that sheet. The sheet didn't have a 'What is your name' question on there, so he didn't know what to say. All he could do was think.

Nothing.

Scratching his head, he lifted his chin from the black chair. He continued to stare at the child.

"Who're you?" He repeated. "What's your name. You have one right? Everyone does." He yawned again.

"My name..." He said, hearing his voice for the first time. He looked a bit surprised, and the boy did too. It looked like the boy was scared for a second. Then a small smile emerged from the youth's face. "...?"

"Whoa!"

"W-What?"

"Y-your voice! It's so... so deep!" The child covered his mouth with his hand, trying to hide the smile.

His voice was deep. Unusually deep. The boy had never heard anything like it before. It almost sounded like it would go good together with jazz music.

"You have one of those drop it low voices!" He exclaimed. The man twitched.

"Drop it lo- What?" The boy jumped over the couch and approached the man cautiously. He stood about five feet away from him, smiling.

"My name is Katsuya! Since you apparently don't have a name, I'll give you one!"

"No."

"Let's see now... Hm." Katsuya paced the room, staying away from the man in the chair.

"The hell boy? I said no."

"Paul... No that won't do. Carl!" Katsuya looked at him and made a face. "Nope!"

Getting annoyed with the young boy, he put the cap on the pen he was using and threw it at Katsuya. It hit him in the back of the head. Turning his head toward the nameless man, Katsuya smiled.

"It's not nice to throw things. Especially when they're not yours." Katsuya picked the pen up and kept pacing the room. "Daniel... Ryota... Hmm."

Gritting his teeth, he stood up. Katsuya heard his movement and flinched, but kept pacing around the couch. As the man approached the couch, he pushed Katsuya out of the way as he was pacing by. It wasn't a hard, forceful push, but it was enough to make him stagger back a couple steps. He sat on the couch, moving the blanket out of his way. He sat on the edge of the cushion leaning forward with his elbows on his knees and his hands on his face, covering his eyes. Katsuya walked around the couch a couple more times, muttering random male names.

"Dave, Chris..." Katsuya looked at him, but the man shook his head, in annoyance and because he didn't like the names. Katsuya kept going. "Akifumi, Hiroto, Ryan, Roman, Jayden... Jayden! Yeah you look like a Jayden!"

"No."

"Jayden it is! Welcome Jayden!"

As Katsuya walked by, the man called Jayden tripped him, then grabbed him and threw him on the couch. He then pulled Katsuya close to his face.

"What don't you get about the word no? I don't like that name, or any of the ones you recommended, so stop trying. I mean seriously! Do you even know what that word means?"

Katsuya sighed. "It's a word of disagreement. I know that. I'm just messing around, Jayden." He smiled. 'Jayden' narrowed his eyes behind his long bangs.

"Stop calling me that. I swear, if you recommend anymore names to me I will not hesitate to throw you across the room."

Katsuya had a bored look on his face. He pushed himself away from the once again nameless man and sat beside him, watching the fire as it crackled and danced in the fireplace. They sat in silence for a few minutes before the man stood up and stretched.

"Well if you don't mind, I'm going to finish that sheet thing."

"Oh, okay! Good luck with that." Katsuya giggled. "Izo." The man stopped and shot Katsuya a glare, which he couldn't see, but could sense. It felt like it pierced his head.

"What the hell did I just tell you?" He quickly grabbed Katsuya and lifted him in the air.

"Whoa whoa! Wait a second! I'm sorry! Sorry sorry sorry!" Without a word he threw Katsuya toward the door. "Weeeeee!"

Before Katsuya could hit the door, it opened. Katsuya slammed into the person who opened the door.

"Yay! Thanks for catching me Shu!" Katsuya gave the man he landed on, known as Shu, a big smile.

"Katsuya? What the hell." Shu moved the young boy off of him and stood up. He then helped Katsuya to his feet. "What happened?"

"Well, Jayden Izo Chris Dave threw me." Shu looked in the room. He saw the man he left in there sitting at the table watching them, biting the pen he was given.

"I'm pretty sure he didn't throw you." Shu led Katsuya back into the room.

"He did! Ask him! Wait, how do you even know if he's a man! He could be a woman with a really deep drop it low voice! You never know! And that pen! How'd he get it! He threw it at me and I kept it!" Katsuya fused.

"Drop it lo- What?" Shu brushed that off. "I know he's a man because you just called him a 'he' and that's what you asked for." Katsuya and the man in the chair raised their brows. "Your very forgetful Katsuya." Shu smiled. "His name is Ren." Shu looked over at him, still smiling.

"Ren..." He said. It wasn't a bad name. He kind of liked it, compared to the other names he was offered.

"Yup. Do you like it?" Shu asked. He nodded, confirming his name. "Good. I picked it, assuming that you wouldn't like any of the names this kid picked."

"Yeah... Thanks."

"By the way, if you did throw him, you had a right to. He should of hit that door in my opinion. He should of hit it and kept going." Shu laughed. Ren laughed along with him.

"Shu!" Katsuya slapped Shu in the stomach, which did little to no damage to him.

...

"Good times..." Katsuya sighed happily. "Anyways, I still didn't see what was on the sheet despite the fact that I looked at it when I was in his room. The sheet was completely blank. Made me so mad... I looked at other things in his room but there wasn't much to look at. He has little to no personal objects in his room. Since I couldn't go into Shu's room, I tried to look through the computers, but they were locked. In the end I found nothing basically. All I had to go on is what I already knew and what they told me."

Renji and Rukia were sitting beside him, having gotten tired of standing. They wanted to hear more of his story, despite the fact that they were in a hurry. Some of their questions could get answered by listening to the stories without even asking the questions. The two knew though, that they didn't have time for it. The sun was about to switch places with the moon.

"Crap! We need to keep looking!" Renji shouted.

"I know," Katsuya said, "I don't know why you two let me tell that story. I mean, I kept thinking about our objective, but you looked like you wanted to listen to it, so I kept going. I like that story too."

Renji stood up. "You should of hit that door..." Renji muttered.

"What 'chu say smart?" Katsuya gave Renji a sort of glare.

"Nothing. We need to get moving if we want to find him tonight." Rukia and Katsuya got to their feet and stretched. The three began to jump off the roof when they heard a voice from below them. Looking down they saw a woman. She had long orange hair, wore a pink scarf and a necklace with a captain's uniform around her shoulders. She waved to them, looking a bit worried.

"Hey! Renji! Rukia!" She waved the two down. Katsuya stayed on the roof, sitting on the edge.

"Rangiku," Renji said, "What's up?"

"I can't find my lieutenant. I've been looking all over the place and can't find him. I happened to see you here and decided to ask if you've seen him."

"No, we haven't seen Lieutenant Hitsugaya anywhere."

Rangiku sighed. "He doesn't usually just run off like this. The last time I saw him was in his office. He was helping me fill out papers when I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up he was gone. I know he has to patrol the Seireitei, but he should of been back by now."

"Oh." Rukia said.

"Hey! Since your looking for someone and we're looking for someone, how about we search together!" Katsuya said. Rukia and Renji looked up at him.

"You guys are looking for someone?" Rangiku asked.

"Um... Yeah. Ichigo kind of got away from us when we were walking around out here. You haven't seen him have you?" Renji improvised.

"Ichigo? No."

"Yay! Search party!" Katsuya jumped off the roof and landed beside Rangiku. She looked at him for a second.

"Whose the kid?" She finally asked.

"My names Katsuya! May I ask your name?"

"Rangiku." She said, flipping her hair off her shoulder.

"Hm... Tenran." Katsuya said.

"What?" She asked.

"Oh nothing, let's go search for our two guys now! " Renji said, escorting Rangiku away from Katsuya. She let him move her without a fuse. Katsuya and Rukia followed them as they started their search.

* * *

><p>Review? ^^<p> 


	14. Chapter 14

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 14**

Ren staggered back after dodging another attack from Toshiro. He kept coming at Ren like he said he would. Ren was doing the same, but barely getting any hits. However, the hits he did give Toshiro were bigger than the ones he received.

Toshiro dodged one of Ren's punches. He tried to flash step away from Ren to get into a better position to strike, but Ren's sword came down on Toshiro's shoulder. The one he cut into earlier in the fight. Toshiro felt the sword break the ice on his shoulders and glide down his wound. The blade cut whatever flesh was left on his shoulder wound and then sum. Ren's sword made contact with Toshiro's bone. He felt an heard his bone crack. Toshiro yelped in pain and slashed at Ren, using his other hand. Ren grabbed his sword. Adding another cut to Ichigo's hand.

With Toshiro in hand, Ren withdrew his sword from his shoulder and flung him up in the air. Following him, Ren flash stepped above the lieutenant and kicked him down in an angle. Toshiro flew past several buildings. He spun and twirled in the air, trying to slow himself down as the ice grew over his shoulder. It turned red from the cut, giving it a crimson shine in the setting sun.

Toshiro got himself into a diving position, folding his wings, and continued to fall toward the ground. When he was seconds from crashing, he opened his wings and made a U-turn back up into the air. He then landed in the area below him. The place where the battle had started. Toshiro tried to move his right shoulder but he couldn't without wincing in pain.

_I need to avoid his hand. His throw is incredible. I might not be able to take another hit if he gets a hold of me...I need to end this.  
><em>

Ren appeared in front of Toshiro with a bored expression on his face.

"Is it rude to say I'm bored? I mean, I'm not bored of you, but I'm kinda tired. I just have this lazy feeling." Ren tilted his head a bit to the side as he watched Hitsugaya hold his sword. "Hmm. Let's end this. The sun is reaching its end and I really don't feel like dragging this battle out any longer. You look like your about finished anyway."

"I was thinking the same thing." Toshiro said. Ren smiled.

Toshiro looked up. The sky was dark. Despite the fact that he couldn't see it, he knew the barrier was still there. _The sky is blocked off... I can't use it now. Damn it. Maybe this will work... _

Toshiro charged toward Ren, sword in his left hand. Ren just stood there. He didn't look like he wanted to move. "Hyoryu Senbi!" Ice slashed the ground and grew, making Ren jump out of the way. His left foot got caught in the ice, which made him jerk back down to the ground. He put his hands out in front of him to catch himself and to cause less damage to his ankle. The ice was pretty high though, about as tall as Ichigo. Thinking again2 on what he was about to do, he looked how far he was falling. He looked at where his ankle was at and punched the ice around it as he fell. The ice cracked and Ren kicked the spot to free himself. He then did a back flip to get back on his feet. Landing wrong, he hopped on his right foot backwards and then knelt.

Calling out the attack name again, Toshiro waved his sword. Another wave of ice came toward Ren. He stood up, but felt a pain in his left ankle. Ignoring it the best he could, he manifested a couple swords and sent them toward the approaching ice with a flick of his wrist. They penetrated and shattered the frozen water, making their new target Toshiro. Ready to block each sword, he put up his own. When they were about a foot away from him, they disintegrated. Both of them looked on, shocked.

"What the hell?" Ren shouted in disbelief. Toshiro used this time to finish the battle, seeing how Ren was distracted. His sword started to glow. Toshiro raised it up so that it was pointing toward Ren. Pillars started to rise from the ground, getting Ren's attention.

"Don't let your guard down." Toshiro stated.

Ren growled as the pillars circled him. He started to charge at Toshiro, who stood a few meters in front of him nonchalantly. "Hitsugaya!" Ren roared.

"This battle is over." Toshiro turned his sword sideways as Ren came closer to him. "Sennen Hyoro." The pillars came together, throwing Ren back to the middle of the circle. A flash of light came from inside of the circle of pillars before it closed completely. Toshiro sighed heavily, wondering what that light was. Setting it aside, he walked around the column of ice and over toward the sword sticking out of the ground. Toshiro put his left hand around the hilt and began to pull on it but he stopped. _If I pull this out, everything that happened here will appear, which means everyone will sense that my spiritual pressure has weakened. They'll also see Kurosaki's body frozen in the ice... _"This isn't good. I'd have to break the ice so no one would see it, but if I do that..." Toshiro paused. He heard an explosion from behind him and quickly turned around.

"If you do that, then I might escape? Was that it?" Ren said as he dashed over toward Toshiro. Before he could do anything, Ren grabbed his right arm and yanked it behind him. Ren heard something pop as he did this, which caused him to make a face of surprise, but he kept going. Ren pushed his sword into Toshiro's back. He watched as it slid through him and out the other side. Toshiro's eyes widened as he spat up blood. Ren didn't stop there. He pulled his sword out as fast as he pushed it into Toshiro and stabbed him again in another spot. After he did this, Ren pushed him to the ground, watching his bankai shatter.

"I won't go down that easily, my friend." Ren walked over to Toshiro and grabbed his hair. He then turned him so that he was facing the sword that was suppose to keep the barrier up. "It seems, I won?" Toshiro gave him a glare. "Not unless you can stand. If you do though, then I'll have to stop you by rendering your legs useless." Ren shoved the blue hilted sword in the ground right beside Toshiro's head. He bent down in front of him. "To tell you the truth, I don't really know what I am. I guess you could say I'm a mix of things. Originally, I'm suppose to be a friend for a boy but I soon discovered that I was meant for something else. Since I was made, I'm pretty sure I'm not human, but who knows." He kept his hand on his sword. "I basically answered a question you asked me earlier, but if you want me to put it specifically then I suppose I could give you a hint to what I think I could be."

"Oh?" Toshiro coughed. All Ren did was flick his sword and stand up. He then walked over to the sword shoved in the ground. Not understanding Ren's gesture, he just stared at him.

"I wouldn't want anyone to figure out that I did this to you, so keep it a secret, okay? I don't like threatening the lives of girls, but if that's what it takes for you to be quiet, I'll hurt the girl. What was her name... Momo?" Toshiro tried to get up in rage, but couldn't.

"Don't-"

"I won't. Just keep your mouth shut. I'm pretty sure Kat and the others know about this, so I guess you could mention it to them. I highly doubt they would tell on me though. Ichigo would get in trouble. Now do me a favor and try and suppress your spiritual pressure. When I open the barrier, our spiritual pressure will fluctuate big time and attract a lot of attention. Your wounds shouldn't be fatal. I didn't hit any major organs so you wont die from organ failure. You are, however, losing blood so you probably want to call for someone on that." He smiled.

Toshiro knew he was right about attracting a lot of attention. The two weren't suppose to be fighting in the first place. If someone sensed their spiritual pressure and came to this area before they could do anything, both of them would get in trouble. Toshiro would be in more trouble then Ren. It was illegal to attack a captain and sense Ichigo was a captain, it was against the rules to fight him. Even though Toshiro was a captain, he's a lieutenant at the moment. Attacking a captain is punishable by death. He had no choice in the matter. Toshiro tried his best to suppress his spiritual pressure.

When Ren sensed this, he did the same and yanked the sword out of the ground. The barrier became visible, or seemed to, and crept its way to the ground, revealing the outside. A breeze swept through the area. It was cold.

Ren started to breath heavily after taking the sword out. It disintegrated in his hand. He frowned at this and walked over to the debris of ice that was left earlier in the fight. He searched the ice and picked up something. He held it close to his face. It was his glasses. The left lens was gone and the right lens was chipped. Half of it was still attached to the frame of the glasses. Sighing, he put them on.

"I'll be seeing you, Shorty!" Ren picked up his sword and started walking in the direction he came before the battle started. As he did this, the necklace disappeared and Ichigo's sword reappeared on his back, making Ren tilt backward a bit. The sword in his hand disappeared as he felt the pain of all the injuries he acquired during the fight. He started to limp away.

"I need to find somewhere to rest..." Ren said tiredly. He started getting light headed after a while of limping, so he slowed down. While he was doing this, he heard a voice.

_"So your that bastard Ren. You must be the one who kept making me freeze." _

He stopped and looked around. "Whose there? Show yourself." Ren heard a laugh.

_"I'm not going to be out there. I'm in Ichigo's inner world." _

"You must be his inner hollow then."

_"So you know about me? Interesting. If you know I'm here, then you should know that I'm the one who saved you."_

"Saved me?" Ren said puzzled.

"_Yes. That flash of light you saw was me earlier. I can't let Ichigo die like that. In some ice. If he dies, I go along with him and I don't want to go down with him. The same thing for you. I'm not going to let Ichigo and myself die because of some fool trying to take over his body. That's my job and I won't let you get in the way of that."_

"I'm not trying to take over his body."

"_Well you're in control of it now. I don't want to have to kill you and Ichigo in order to get the throne."_

"Look, I'm not going to interfere with what ever you and Ichigo have planned."

_"Then screw off!"_

"I'm not done with my business yet, so I can't."

_"If you don't, then I'll make you!"_

"I can not leave until my mission is complete. Until I find and terminate my targets, you will have to deal with me."

_"Deal with you? Ha! I'm not putting up with two weaklings!"_ Hollow Ichigo hissed. _"Finding targets? Hell, I'd be running around in his body 'terminating' more than 'some' targets._ _If you didn't damage his body so much, I'd be doing that anyway. After killing you, that is." _

Ren grunted, listening to Hollow Ichigo.

_"But..."_ Hollow Ichigo began._ "The least I can do for Ichigo, is this..." _

...

"Ichigo..." A voice echoed.

No answer.

"Ichigo! Wake up." The voice came again.

His eyes twitched and came open slowly. He sat up, looking around. Zangetsu and his hollow were standing in front of him. Him and Hollow Ichigo exchanged glares and then Ichigo turned his attention to Zangetsu, while standing up.

Zangetsu and Ichigo stared at each other for a while. Hollow Ichigo looked at both of them as they did this.

"What?" Zangetsu finally said.

"What? What do you mean what? I thought you had something to tell me."

"No."

"Then why am I here?"

"You were here when we came to." Zangetsu's voice echoed.

"Came to... Did you-"

"No. I suppose you could say I froze like he did." Zangetsu pointed to his hollow. "However, I saw a light. After that, I opened my eyes to see him behind me and you on the floor."

Ichigo didn't really have anything to say to this. Obviously it had something to do with the box, which Zangetsu was holding.

"Why're you holding it? The box, I mean." Ichigo asked Zangetsu.

"It was in my hands when I opened my eyes." Zangetsu replied, trying to push the box cap up with his thumb.

Ichigo looked around, seeing as there wasn't anything else he wanted to ask them. The place looked normal. There wasn't anything wrong. It seemed too peaceful in his inner world for there to be trouble.

"Speaking of this box," Hollow Ichigo took it out of Zangetsu's hands, "I met that Ren guy."

"Oh?" Ichigo said. Zangetsu glared at the hollow, letting his arms drop to his side.

"I basically saved you. He was roaming around and happened to get _your_ ass kicked by some white haired guy. He won in the end though, with my help."

"He fought? There are a few white haired guys that I know that are here. You don't know the name?"

"No."

"Hmm..." Ichigo paused for a second. "You helped him win? That's not like you."

"Hey, I didn't do it so he could win. I didn't want him to get killed, because if he did, I'd probably die with him. I'm not going to go down with someone like him. And I know that's not like me. He's screwing with my personality. I would've taken your body for myself when I stopped him, but he damaged it too much for me to want to use it and apparently I couldn't get myself to do it."

"Damage... You mean,"

"Yes."

"And-"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I know what your gonna say. Yes, Apparently somewhere in my being I care. I don't like the thought of me saying it or the realization that I actually do have emotions like that. Gives me more of a reason to kick his ass." Hollow Ichigo started to open the box. It wouldn't open though. He started to yank the top, but it wouldn't budge. "Dammit! Open!"

"It will not open. I tried." Zangetsu said. Hollow Ichigo kept trying to open the box despite what Zangetsu said.

"What do you mean it won't?" Ichigo asked.

"I mean what I say. Do not make me repeat myself."

"Okay." Ichigo looked up and then at his hollow. "Let me try."

Hollow Ichigo threw it at his face, irritated. Ichigo caught it before it made contact with his head. His hollow scoffed.

Ichigo tried to lift the box top. It didn't move. He raised his brow and tried again. Nothing. Gritting his teeth, he yanked the top, which stayed in place.

"Never mind." Ichigo said, throwing the cube on the ground.

"Well with that out of the way," Hollow Ichigo said, "My theory about this guy is that whenever he tries to take over, you lose consciousnesses for however long he's in control. I'm thinking... If I take over when he's in control, the same rules will apply." He started to walk away. "If I have to save your ass when he's in control, I'll take over and I will not be so caring. I'd have to come back later on and take care of you and that fool though."

"I'm not going to let that happen again," Ichigo said coldly.

"Then get out of here already. I'm a bit frustrated right now and you're the only one that I can take my anger out on besides Zangetsu, but I wouldn't do that to him." Zangetsu looked back at him.

Ichigo paused for a second. "You wanna go?" He stepped forward with his left foot. Feeling a sharp pain go up his left leg, he knelt.

"Ha! If I took you on right now, you'd be slaughtered! Your wounds are healing, and it wouldn't be fun to kill you so easily." He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Then again..."

"Go Ichigo." Zangetsu's voice boomed.

...

He opened his eyes once again. _Where am I?_ Ichigo thought. _I'm still tired..._ The last time Ichigo was conscious, he was in Renji's office sitting on the couch. He was laying down when he came to.

The room didn't look like the sickbay. It looked like a regular bedroom. There wasn't that much to look at.

Ichigo sat up. His blanket fell off him as he did so. His torso area started to sting when he sat up straight. He looked down to notice that he wasn't wearing the top half of his shihakusho, but was wearing bandages. They went around his torso and over his shoulder. Moving around in his bed, he felt other spots on his body that had bandages on them. Ichigo also felt his left ankle, which was throbbing a bit. He wondered what Ren did while fighting to make his ankle hurt. Nothing was wrapped around it, so he assumed he didn't get cut there.

Looking to his right, he saw a desk in the corner. On it, he saw the top of his uniform, and beside it he saw this captains jacket. On top of it sat a pair of glasses. Next to the desk on the floor, he saw his shoes. Wanting his top, he pushed the covers off of himself and hopped off the bed. He tried to keep the weight off of his left foot as he went.

Ichigo slid the top of his shihakusho on. He then removed the sunglasses from the top of his haori and unfolded it. As he put it on, he noticed there was another pair of sunglasses on his desk. They were basically ruined. The lens on the left was gone and the one on the right was there, but half of it was gone. Ignoring it, he opened the curtains to the window beside his bed to the right. He squinted as the sun's rays slid in the room. Sighing, he looked at the door.

"Where's everyone?" Ichigo asked himself. It was oddly quiet. He thought that Rukia, Renji and/or Katsuya would be in the other room. At least Katsuya. He didn't have a place to stay, so Ichigo's office would be the best place for him.

Ichigo escorted himself out of his room and into his office area. No one was in there. "Damn. Where are they?"

"Mishi!" A muffled voice came from somewhere in the room. Ichigo flinched and looked around. It sounded like Katsuya's voice.

"Katsuya?" Ichigo said.

"...Mishi!"

Ichigo traced the muffled sounds to his couch. He called Katsuya's name again to get a reply to see if he was in the right place. Whatever Katsuya was saying was definitely louder. Curious, Ichigo sat on the couch. He heard a scream from under the cushions and lifted one up. He saw Katsuya. His hair was in his face, covering his eyes.

"What the-" Ichigo covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence. After that, he took his hand off. "Why'd you sit on me!" He whined. "You heard me under the cushions!"

Ichigo didn't say anything. He pulled Katsuya from the place he was lying, making the other couch cushion fall off the couch. Ichigo started putting the cushions back in place as Katsuya made his way to the other couch. He shook his head to get his hair back in place.

"Why were you in the couch?" Ichigo asked, pushing the first cushion in place.

"Well, it all started-"

"Don't start. Just give me the answer that's not in story form." Ichigo picked up the other cushion and started fixing the couch.

"Fine... I was getting on Pineapple's nerves so he shoved me in the couch. How? I was jumping on the couch. He happened to be on the same couch as me and I happened to fall on him, but it happened to be an accident so... Heh heh heh..." Katsuya ruffled his hair. "He's not very considerate."

Ichigo made his way to his desk chair and sat down, not wanting to sit on something soft. He looked at Katsuya, who had his knee's in the couch as he looked out the window. "You shouldn't of been doing that in the first place."

"I know... Ooo! A soul reaper!" Katsuya knocked on the window to get the soul reapers attention, but he didn't look over at him.

"Where is Rukia?" Ichigo asked. He knew Renji was probably back at squad 6, so he didn't bother asking about him.

"Chappy's out with Pineapple checking on Toshi and getting breakfast for you and I." Another soul reaper walked by, but Katsuya failed to get his attention.

"Toshi..ro? Wait, what happened to him?"

"So you don't remember? Hm. I thought you would of woke up with one of those 'I just had one of the most strangest dreams' type of things."

"No. I ended up in my inner world, and that's it... I think."

"Oh... Well! You, or I should say Ren, fought Toshi last night. Ren won, but nearly killed Toshi. Toshi had a few broken ribs, a cracked shoulder blade, and two stab wounds that went right through him. I was shocked. Ren doesn't usually fight that hard... Or so I've been told, when he is on a mission. Anyways, I saw you sitting in the walk way. Your wounds were barely bleeding when I got there. I had to drag you to the others because they were worried about Toshi a bit more then you. I kinda yanked your arm with the wound on it which made it bleed more and scratched your tummy up a bit because I dragged you over some rocks and other debris..." Katsuya gave himself an unsure smile, which Ichigo saw in his reflection in the window. He looked down and back up to give Katsuya a glare.

"Sorry! Anyways! Tenran took Toshi to squad 4 while Pineapple, Chappy and I took you to your office. Chappy told Tenran to get Hana to come over to your office to heal you. That's when Pineapple got mad at me and stuffed me under the couch. I couldn't get out so I went to sleep. When I woke up, I heard your voice."

"I'm pretty sure Hana is Hanataro, but who's Tenran?"

"Tenran is Rangiku I think... Yeah! It was a coincidence that we ran into her!"

Ichigo let everything that Katsuya said sink in. He couldn't believe what Katsuya said about Ren and Toshiro. There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but Katsuya probably wouldn't know the answer to any of them. He'd have to ask Ren. He didn't know how to contact him though. Ren would always talk to him if he felt like it. The box that held Ren wouldn't open either, so if that was a way to talk to him, then he was out of luck.

"Hey, I can tell you the full story if you want me to. That was just a summary of it all." Katsuya said.

Ichigo didn't really want to listen to him tell another one of his stories, but this one he really needed to hear. "Oka-"

"Ichigo!" Katsuya shouted. He had turned back around and sat down on the couch and was staring at Ichigo.

"What?" He said, a bit worried from what Katsuya's facial expression was and the tone of his voice while saying his name. Not his nickname.

"Your..." He paused for a second. Katsuya jumped off the couch and started to run toward Ichigo.

"Wait, what?" Having a pretty good idea what Katsuya was going to do, Ichigo stood up and dodged him.

"Stay still Ichi!" Katsuya jumped at him again, but missed.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo dodged Katsuya again.

"Your eyes!"

"My... eyes? What about them?" Katsuya didn't say anything.

Ichigo became irritated by Katsuya not telling him what was the matter with his eyes. He decided to catch him before he had the chance to jump on him. Ichigo turned around quickly, but as he did this he tripped over his hurting ankle and Katsuya tackled him, making him fall backwards.

* * *

><p>^-^ Hope this wasn't painful to read, due to my laziness in writing.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 15  
><strong>

"Hey! Get off me!" Ichigo yelled at Katsuya.

"Stop moving Ichi!"

"Get off me then!"

"Let me put it this way, if you keep moving, you'll re-open your wounds and since I don't have a profession in medical help, you'd probably bleed to death." Katsuya said bluntly. Despite what Katsuya said, Ichigo didn't care. He's watched a lot of medics when they were patching patient's up and him, so he didn't worry about that. All he wanted was to be free of the kid.

Katsuya was surprisingly heavy. Ichigo could probably pick him up, but his arms were being held down by Katsuya's feet.

"Okay... Let me put it in another way. Your eyes are hollowfied. Now stop moving! I'm not going to hurt you." Katsuya gave a mocking smile.

"What?"

"Yeah, you wanna mirror?"

"There's no mirror in here."

"What about a shiny plate?"

"..."

"Fine. Now keep your eyes open. I needa look at 'em."

"Wait. Why're my eyes like this?"

Katsuya held Ichigo's right eye open with his left index finger and thumb. Not expecting the action from Katsuya, Ichigo tried to close his eye but received a flick to the nose from Katsuya. Ichigo didn't do anything despite his irritation. Katsuya switched eyes as he finished with the right one. Ichigo didn't look him straight in the eye.

"So Chappy was right..." Katsuya breathed.

"Huh?" Katsuya sat up straight, still straddling Ichigo.

"She asked me yesterday if it were possible that your spiritual pressure would disappear if you were to somehow go unconscious."

"But I don't remember being awake between the time I was at Renji's office and here."

"You were. Maybe not for long, but you were. I remember your eyes were open when I got there, at least. I called your name and you looked at me. You were leaned up against one of the walls. You didn't move your head, but I know you looked at me. I told you to relax and you closed your eyes. I didn't feel anything from you either. It was like you didn't exist."

"How'd you know it was me though?"

"Ren woulda tried to say something to me about not telling him what to do. I don't know you that well, but I'm pretty sure that was you. Plus, one of your eyes were hollowfied and the other one was white and brown."

"Oh..."

"You sure you don't remember anything. I mean anything. Just think. Tell me whatever you remember between Pineapple's office and here."

Ichigo thought. Nothing came to mind. He felt like he was forgetting something, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

"Think about pictures instead of the whole scene. Like if it was dark or bright and if there were people. When you have an image, then think about how you felt when you saw it, or how you feel when your seeing it. After that, add words. That always helps me when I'm trying to remember something really important."

Ichigo closed his eyes. He decided to go with what Katsuya suggested, so he started thinking about different images. Seeing that he could only see the back of his eyelids, he stuck with a black scene. He then thought about people. Since the scene was dark, he assumed he couldn't see anyone, so no people were around. When he got to the next step in Katsuya's plan, he started getting something. The image felt like it started to move but didn't look like it was. It was like someone had pressed play on a remote and the movie starts to play again, but the TV screen was black. The volume wasn't muted but the pictures didn't show.

He heard wind. He felt it roll past him. It was cold. Ichigo felt like he was actually in this dream of his. Curious, he thought about him putting his hand out in front of himself to see if he could see it and sure enough he did. It was clear as day but his surroundings weren't. After doing this, he felt something warm splatter on him. With this, he felt a severe pain come from his shoulder. Then his body started to throb.

"Ichi!"

Ichigo opened his eyes. His body was aching and he felt himself sweating a bit. Katsuya was sitting beside him.

"What happened? It was like you were having a bad dream or something. I mean, I called your name about three times before I got a response."

He explained what happened to him after sitting up and leaning himself on the couch with more detail as he remembered it. Katsuya sat in front of him taking notes. Ichigo didn't see how this would help him discover what was happening to his eyes, but he told Katsuya what he wanted to know.

"Hmm... Well it seems like what you just remembered was the battle with Toshi." Ichigo gave him a confused look. "Let me explain. You say that you felt yourself being slashed or hit with something consecutively, or being hit one time then a pause and then another, right? So this leads me to believe while Ren was fighting, you were basically awake, but you couldn't see, hear, or move your physical body at all. All of your senses in your mental state were enabled, but your movement or anything else wouldn't synch up with your real physical form. Every time when Toshi gave your body a wound, you'd feel it, but not be able to do anything about it. That's my theory though."

"That sounds like an accurate theory to me."

"Yup! Which leads me to believe that something interfered during the battle. I say that because your eyes are discolored. One of your hollowfied eyes are darker than the other. You would have to look close to see it though. I've noticed when I watch Ren fight Shu, Ren's eyes are darker than regular hollow eyes. Shu usually knocks his glasses thingys off just to tick him off. I was learning about hollows at the time, so I was looking at a book that had different types of hollows. I just happened to look up and Ren was laying on his back in front of me. I compared their eyes and noticed that his were darker then regular hollow eyes."

"They fought?"

"Your taking it the wrong way. They have practice fights. Shu use to always win, but Ren gets wins once in a while. Anyways, back to your eyes. Yeah, before anyone sees you we gotta cover them up. I don't know how any soul reaper would take it if you walked out like that. And I'm pretty sure Chappy and Pineapple will freak out if they see you like this. Your eyes will probably fade back to normal. This has never happened before so I gotta take notes and stuff."

"Ok then. So what? I have to wear the glasses again?"

"Yup! That or you go back to sleep. You have to rest though anyways. No one knows you were injured last night with Toshi except for a handful of people."

"I see." There was a moment of silence. "Well in that case I'll just-"

"Yo!" Ichigo and Katsuya heard the door slam against the wall. They both looked up to see Renji smiling and Rukia holding a bag in her hand. They could smell the food. "Morning Sunshine!"

...

He laid back down, putting his arm behind his head. Toshiro looked at the injuries he acquired, or what was left of them, from last night. He thought back to what was told to him when he woke up.

X

Opening his eyes slowly, he scanned the room he was in. The room felt empty and to him, smelled like a hospital.

There was a curtain to his right. He assumed there was another patient over there. His bed sat between two windows. The window to the left was open and the one on the right was closed and the curtain was over it. There was a chair sitting by the door and one by his bed, on the left side. The walls were white, not much different from any ordinary wall.

He sat up slowly, knowing that he took damage the night before. Once he fully sat up, the door opened.

"Captain. Your awake." She said, walking toward the bed.

"I'm your lieutenant at the moment. Address me as such." Toshiro smiled weakly.

"Since I'm your captain I'll call you whatever I want, so I will call you Captain like I always have." Rangiku returned a smile. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." Toshiro noticed that his right arm was in a splint. It surprised him, but then he remembered the cause of it. He used his left hand to feel his stomach area. All he felt was bandages. A bit disappointed, he looked at Rangiku.

"Don't worry! You should be out very soon! Captain Unohana worked on you herself!" Toshiro looked past her to see someone standing behind her. Rangiku got a chill.

"It is proper for you to address me as Lieutenant Unohana or Assistant Captain Unohana. Do not call me 'Captain Unohana' until next week if you would please, Captain Matsumoto." Unohana smiled her normal smile and stood by Rangiku, who was staring at her surprised and paralyzed.

"Unohana..." Toshiro said.

"Don't worry. You will be alright. A few squad members and I tried our best to heal you. Some of your wounds have been closed, but your bone was a different story. The best I could do was put your arm in a splint and strap it to your body so you wouldn't move it."

"With the treatment she'll give you, you should be able to move it before the week is up! So don't look so sad."

His arm wasn't bothering him that much to make him look sad. He had other things on his mind that bothered him much more.

"Thank you." He said.

"Your welcome. I will come check on you later." Unohana said and turned around toward the door but moved her head to where she could see Toshiro. "Stay in bed please. I would hate for something terrible to happen to you if you got up when you are not ready to be up and around, Lieutenant Hitsugaya." She gave him a smile which basically said 'Get up and die' and left the room.

Rangiku sat in the chair beside Toshiro's bed. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"Nothing's wrong." He looked out the window.

"Don't lie. Something's bothering you. You can tell me."

Toshiro looked at her from the corner of his eyes. "No. No I don't think a can." He re-directed his gaze back to the window.

"Is it about what happened last night?"

No answer.

"Captain..." She whined.

No answer.

"Maybe this'll get you to speak." Rangiku paused.

Toshiro thought she was getting something because he heard shuffling of clothing from beside him. Thinking of what it could be, he kept his eyes facing the brightly lit outside world.

Rangiku looked up at him and tilted her head. "Your not interested?"

"You can give it to me later." He said annoyed. Toshiro gave a little blush before Rangiku got down to business.

"Captain, you'll feel better if you talk about it. What'd he tell you?"

He turned his head quickly when he heard Rangiku's last sentence. "'He'?"

"Yeah. That was a he, right?" She didn't expect an answer from him. "I think his name was Ren. The guy you fought last night." She started speaking in a whispered tone as she got into the subject more.

"How do you know about that?" He asked stunned.

"A little kid told me. No joke. I was searching for you when I ran into Renji and Rukia and there was this kid soul reaper with them. He's the reason I found you basically. He explained to me what was going on and what Ren might of said to you to scare you into not spreading the word. What'd he say to you?"

Toshiro took a breathe and told her that he'd hurt Momo if he told. He didn't know how he knew that, but that's what he said. Momo was already recovering from Aizen's attack, she didn't need to be hit with anything else for a while.

The two were silent after that, until Rangiku slapped her hands on her lap.

"I'm sure Renji, Rukia and the kid are thinking of a way to stop him."

"I suppose so..." Toshiro looked at his arm. "How's Kurosaki?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen him since last night, and he was out cold too."

"Oh..."

"I'm pretty sure he'll come by later. I wonder if he knew what hit him... I didn't get that much details about the whole situation anyway." Toshiro didn't say anything. "Well! I'll let you get your rest." She said starting to stand. "I'll drop by with the group if I run into them later."

"Okay then."

"Stay in bed Captain. I don't want 'Lieutenant Unohana' to get on you for moving." Toshiro nodded and Rangiku left the room. He waited for her footsteps to fade away and gave a sigh. He then flung the covers off of him.

X

Toshiro kept peaking back through the window to see if anyone was coming in or if he could hear footsteps coming. He didn't want to be caught by Unohana. She had given him a silent threat and was most likely going to go through with it.

He was becoming paranoid about the slightest thought of being caught moving about by her. Toshiro decided to climb back through the window and get some rest. He could think about the subject more while resting in bed without stressing about her.

When he turned around from entering the building, he saw his worst nightmare come true.

"What did I tell you earlier, Lieutenant Hitsugaya?" She said calmly with her usual chill bringing smile.

...

Ichigo and Katsuya watched as Renji and Rukia came in the room and closed the door. Katsuya snapped out of his daze and pushed Ichigo.

"Uh... Eh heh heh..." Ichigo looked around for a second.

"What?" Renji said, but Ichigo's response was a door slam. "Where'd he go?"

Katsuya looked around for words as Rukia sat the bag on the table. "Uh, Aha, ha, ha, haaaaaa... I'm just gonna..." Katsuya scurried to Ichigo's room and closed the door behind him.

"What the...?" Renji scratched his head. Rukia shook her head.

X

"What am I going to do about this?" Ichigo whisper yelled to Katsuya while pointing to his eyes.

"Calm down! Lemme see." Katsuya looked at Ichigo's eyes for a second. "They're fine. The color is fading. Your left eye is already back to it's original color and your right eye is fading in color already. If you don't trust me, then look for yourself with my shiny new plate!"

"Seriously, where'd you get the plate from?"

"Found it..."

"I'm sure you did... There's got to be a mirror in here." Ichigo walked over to his desk and started looking through drawers until he surprisingly found a mirror. Katsuya was right. His eyes were almost fully back to normal. Ichigo's right eye was a light grayish color with a fading orange-ish yellow pupil. He put the mirror back in the drawer and looked back at Katsuya.

"You can either put the glasses on or wait for the color to fade away. Your choice." Katsuya smiled. "Or you could go back out like you are now. I mean, I can barely see it now. Just don't let them get to close to you."

Ichigo scanned the room quickly. He then picked up his red sash that he wore with his sword and put it on. "Okay, let's go." He said.

"Righty oh!" Katsuya opened the door and strolled out with Ichigo close behind him.

Rukia and Renji watched them as they walked back into the room. Renji was sitting on the couch closest to the door and Rukia was sitting on the other one. They didn't seem to be doing anything besides sitting in silence.

Katsuya jumped on the couch next to Renji and smiled at him. Renji glared at him out of the corner of his eye. Katsuya just smiled and waved. Ichigo sat at his desk and started fiddling with a pen.

"What was that all about?" Rukia asked.

"Oh, uh." Ichigo looked around for an answer. "I had to get my sash." He tugged it to show them what he was talking about. "Speaking about that, where's my sword?"

"I pushed it under your bed." Katsuya said. Ichigo nodded.

Katsuya looked in the bag on the table and took out its content. He put four Chinese take out boxes on the table. He flipped the bag over and poured everything else out. Chopsticks and fortune cookies spread out on the table.

"Two of them are rice, one's brown rice and the other is white rice, and the other two are noodles." Rukia said politely. Katsuya slid the box with brown rice over to his side of the table and said he had dibs on it. He then picked up another takeout box and walked over to Ichigo and handed it to him. It was the one with noodles. He also gave him a fortune cookie and chopsticks. Ichigo said thank you and Katsuya pranced back over to his spot beside Renji, who pushed him when he leaned over toward him.

"So, Ichigo," Rukia started, "You okay?"

He nodded. His mouth was full so he didn't speak. When he swallowed he spoke. "Yeah. I don't feel to bad. I mean besides the after math of the fight, I'm good." He put more noodles in his mouth.

"I'm just going to jump right into this. I think we should just go stop Shu already. I mean we've been talking a bit about it, so why don't we just do it?" Renji said.

"Why don't we? Well, for one, it probably would be suicide for Ichi. I bet your thinking, 'Then we can go!' Right? Well if you two can't beat Ichi with your powers combined, then you'd get hurt badly. Even though Shu and Ren always do practice fights, Shu always wins. Even when Ren is at his strongest he wins. I highly doubt you'd wanna do that. He's captain class."

Renji scoffed.

"Until Ichi is semi-healed-"

"Semi?" Ichigo interupted.

"We'll have to wait." He said ignoring Ichigo. "I'd say give him a day. Today's what? Tuesday? We'll talk about it more today and take action tomorrow. That float yall's boat?"

Everyone agreed somewhat.

"Now..." Katsuya said. "On to something different, I just noticed something." Everyone looked up at him to see what he had to say. Ichigo's mouth was full at the time, he tried to finish chewing before Katsuya got to the point. Rukia and Renji were finishing their mouth full of food too. "Ren's kind of an idiot." Katsuya glanced at Ichigo quickly. He then put his hands behind his head, leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes. Rukia's eyebrows went up and Renji looked at Katsuya from the corner of his eye. Ichigo twitched.

"Oh Really now?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah. I mean he shouldn't of been fighting in the beginning. He's basically suppose to be an assassin. No one is really suppose to know he's here. He's not really stealthy. He basically blew his cover." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm pretty sure if he studied you more, he wouldn't of sustained any damage. A lieutenant captain wouldn't be in the sickbay either. It was careless."

Ichigo found himself glaring at Katsuya. He didn't know why, but he couldn't stop himself from doing it.

Katsuya took a deep breath. "Ah, careless and pathetic. Yup. It's a shame." He shook his head.

A twitch became a glare. A glare became an urge. This sudden urge became stronger. This urge got stronger until it couldn't be suppressed any longer. He found himself doing something he wouldn't normally do in a situation like this. Katsuya, Renji and Rukia heard a bang on the desk and a chair being pushed backward from when someone was quickly getting up.

"You callin' me pathetic boy?" Ichigo shouted irritated.

"Yeah, pretty much." Katsuya said carelessly. Ichigo growled. "You know I'm right. You could of avoided this." Katsuya sat up and looked at Ichigo, who scoffed.

"Shut up! I felt rushed!"

"Lies! Your a carefree person. You never rush for anything. You take your time. I bet you got into the fight just to get a thrill."

"You might be right about the first part, but that second part was all on accident. How am I suppose to study someone when I'm in a freakin' box all damn day? Huh? I get information as I'm controlling someone! I had better priorities then to study. I had to find them!"

"Them? Whose them? The word 'them' can mean a whole lot."

"N-none of your business you little pervert!"

There was a short silence. Katsuya broke it as fast as it fell.

"Dude you suck!"

It looked like he was about to come over the desk to get at Katsuya. He was leaning over it as he heard what Katsuya said.

"You wanna go, boy? Huh?"

"Yeah! Come at me bro!" Katsuya was standing up now.

Ichigo growled again and clawed at his desk, waiting for him to say something else.

A few seconds past, and Katsuya started chuckling. He put his hands over his mouth to keep quiet, but it didn't work. He started laughing out loud. He laughed so hard he fell, and hit his head on the table. That made him laugh harder. Renji laughed at Katsuya's pain, Rukia didn't know what to think, and Ichigo's glare turned into a scowl and from there a very confused expression.

Ichigo shifted his eyes from his claw marks in the desk to Katsuya, who was still laughing and holding his head with tears in his eyes. "Wait... What the hell?" Ichigo scratched his head.

Katsuya's laughs became giggles and then somewhat silenced. He wiped the tears out of his eyes as he sat up. He then stood up and smiled an unremoveable smile at Ichigo.

"Wooo... That killed me right there." He let out a short chuckle and continued. "Let me explain."

* * *

><p>This is what you get when your trying to become more motivated. This might of seemed like a normal chapter, but if you really think about it, a lot of random stuff happened. I got everything in the chapter from what I was thinking about at the moment I was writing. Yes I was thinking about a plate during the beginning of the chapter... Hey, at least I finished this chapter.<p>

^-^ Review!


	16. Chapter 16

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 16**

"What you just demonstrated was something Ren would do. It's hard to put it in correct words to make it sound smart, but let me start from the beginning. The only way Ren could get around as he has all the times he's taken over people is by hacking into someone's mind. Like he tries to act like the person he's in. So, in Ichi's case, Ren acted like him for a while to deceive everyone he has talked to. He's had to switch personalities basically to become Ichi and respond like him." Katsuya picked his chopsticks up and stabbed his rice with them. "Since Ren borrowed Ichi's personality and thought process for a while, where do you suppose Ren's goes? His personality stays in Ichi's silent mind until Ren wants his back. In other words, Ren's mind and self stays in Ichi for as long as he uses Ichi. Make since?"

Ichigo still looked confused. Katsuya noticed and answered Ichigo's silent question.

"There are side effects for this, as you just witnessed. Ren used Ichi so Ichi basically has to use Ren. He has to run out the timer that Ren set for him. Like... I don't know how to explain it better. All I really know is that Ichi had a bit of Ren's personality running through him since Ren swapped for a few minutes or hours."

"So basically I acted like Ren for a couple minutes because he somehow left part of his personality in my.. self? So now I'm being him for as long as he was being me. Right?" Ichigo stood up straight.

"Right!" Katsuya put some rice in his mouth and smiled. "I was curious if he actually did it so I brought up something that would usually annoy him. I referred to Ren the first couple of times I mentioned him, then treated Ichi like he was him to bring out the personality and thoughts. As you saw and heard, we got some unexpected information from him. It wasn't really my goal to get it, but Ichi just said it so I went along."

"What's that?" Rukia asked.

"'Them'. He mentioned a them. He apparently is looking for more then one person. I don't know how that will help us in any way, but at least we got something."

Ichigo felt a bit violated. All of his memories were unlocked and read like a book for someone he didn't even know well. It made him a bit mad and disturbed, but something came to mind. If Ren could look up things from his memory, then why couldn't he? Ichigo just released some information about Ren's purpose for being here, so why couldn't he hack into Ren's mind for the time being?

Ichigo sat back down and picked at his fortune cookie. He then tried to think about how he was going to pull the information out. The only thing he could think of was to analyze what he's witness about Ren, which wasn't much, and go from there. He knew he was conscious at the time he was acting like him. Something from that could possibly trigger something in his mind.

He sat there mindlessly as Katsuya talked about something. He wasn't focusing on him, so he didn't know exactly what he was saying. Ichigo went through the conversation over and over again until he got something. He faintly heard his own voice say 'I dare you' in his mind. Figuring that that was a sign of getting closer to what he wanted to know, he kept going.

He didn't really know what to concentrate on after that. All he was thinking about was the conversation. _There's probably more to it than this... Katsuya said something about hacking. How would I do that?_ Ichigo leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to get a better picture, seeming as Rukia and Renji were occupied with Katsuya's stories and ideas. He tried Katsuya's trick once more, even though it was for trying to remember something, it was worth a try.

He thought of an image. The word 'hacking' reminded him of a filing cabinet or a computer screen, so he focused on that. To his surprise, he saw a computer sitting on a desk and a filing cabinet sitting right beside it. Since he wasn't trying to remember anything, he blocked out the last couple of instructions Katsuya gave.

X

Now somewhat inside of his head, Ichigo walked over to the filing cabinet. It was a bright tan color with silver handles. It had four drawers. The one at the top was smaller than the rest. The computer was a laptop. It had a black base and a white trim. The screen was black and had a screen saver on it that had a rotating cube bouncing quickly to and from the inside of the computer screen. The cube had the colors red, green, blue, and yellow on it. Ichigo stared at this for a while.

"Which one do I pick? If I choose one and don't find what I'm looking for, what will happen?" Ichigo sighed. He usually took small risks like this, but it seemed a bit too risky to him. If he were to choose one and something were to go wrong, he wouldn't know what to do. A lot of negative thoughts were running through his head.

He shifted his eyes from one object to the other. He felt like the filing cabinet had some type of aura emitting from it. It felt heavy and somewhat threatening. The computer had nothing coming from it. He thought about it for a second and made his decision. He walked closer to the filing cabinet and examined the drawers. Not able to choose, Ichigo picked the third drawer, seeming that it was in the middle if you excluded the first one. He opened it and looked inside. He saw a lot of dark blue file folders resting inside. They all had tabs sticking out with words written on them. He bent down to get a closer view. None of them perked his interest what so ever. Most of the tabs had a number on it and said 'Major Event' beside the number. Paying more attention to the numbers, he saw that they only went up to ten, six being the lowest number. Giving it more thought, he closed the drawer and opened the one above it. He saw the numbers one through five.

"If what I'm thinking is right..." Ichigo opened the last drawer and looked inside. Eleven through fifteen was inside. He flipped through the ones that had the number fifteen on it. He got to one where there wasn't anything written on the tab. Interested, he opened the folder. He saw a white flash of light and then-

X

"Wake up! Hello? Ichi!" Katsuya shouted at Ichigo. Katsuya was basically on Ichigo's lap when his eyes flew open. Surprised, Ichigo fell backwards in his chair. Katsuya jumped away from him before he completely hit the ground.

"Gah! Damn it! That hurt!" Ichigo growled through his teeth.

"I had to get you up some how." Katsuya waved his index finger in front of Ichigo. He slapped it away and stood up, standing his chair back up as well and sat down.

"I wasn't sleeping! I was thinking."

"About?"

"None of your business."

"Psh." Katsuya sighed. "I suppose you didn't catch anything I was saying then."

Ichigo put some noodles in his mouth. They were cold, but he still ate them.

"Hey Rukia." Ichigo said, ignoring Katsuya. She looked up at him. "Where'd you get this food? I didn't know the Soul Society had this."

"We don't, from what I know. The head captain decided that we should get food from The World of The Living and try it out. This is for you really. We didn't really know what to get you, so we took what the soul reapers in charge of the ordering gave us."

"Oh, well that was nice."

"A couple of them told us to tell you thank you for coming." Renji added.

"Hm," Ichigo looked at his noodles for a second, bored a bit. Katsuya looked at him and remembered something.

"Fortune cookie time!" He exclaimed. He ran over to his spot next to Renji and picked his cookie up. He then tore the plastic off of it and threw it on the table. Cookie in hand, he smiled. "Don't just stare at me, get yours!" Rukia and Renji picked their fortune cookies up and stared at Katsuya. He sighed. "I'll open mine first then." He cracked the cookie open, being careful not to get crumbs everywhere, and took the small slip of paper out. Ignoring the side with the lucky numbers, he flipped to the side with words and proof read his slip. His face contorted.

"This doesn't make sense. I think they forgot a couple words." Katsuya bit into a broken piece of cookie.

"Read it out loud." Rukia insisted.

"It says 'You will be thrown by an internal turmoil.' Shouldn't it be like 'You will be thrown into a turmoil' or something?"

"Has one of those ever had a misprint on it?" Ichigo asked.

"Not that I know of. I remember when they gave me more than one fortune in one cookie. I found that cool."

"Maybe your just not taking it the right way. It could mean that you might get shaken by some internal conflict." Rukia said.

"Maybe, but still. It seems awkward to me a bit... Anyways! What's your fortune Renji? Rukia? Ichigo?"

Rukia tore the plastic off of her fortune cookie and broke it. She read the words of wisdom out loud for everyone to hear. "'Good things take time.' Hm. Wonder what that's suppose to mean." She said interested.

Renji opened his soon after and proof read it. The slip of paper looked like the printer was running out of ink because the words were barely visible. He could make out nine of the letters though. Renji tried to put them all together, which he succeed at, but didn't like the results. He crumpled this paper up and shoved it in his pocket.

"What did it say?" Katsuya's eyes sparkled.

"Nothing."

"Don't be like that!" Katsuya sat on the couch and scooted closer to Renji, who pushed him over.

"All it had on the paper was some random black lines."

"Oh... Misprint! Sucks for you! Ichi, go!" Katsuya snickered when he said that. Realizing what he said, Ichigo narrowed his eyes at him.

"Naw, I don't believe in stuff like this."

"You don't? It's words of wisdom! Why don't you believe Ichi! Why?"

"To rephrase it, I don't usually take these type of things to heart."

"Oh... Well can I have your cookie then?" Ichigo shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because I just so happen to like the cookie."

"Well can I have your fortune." Ichigo shook his head again. "Ichi! You don't want to read it yet you want it? What is that all about?" Ichigo placed his hand over the fortune cookie and applied pressure. He then put it in his pocket. Ichigo put his elbow on his desk, placed his cheek on his fist, and looked up at Katsuya, letting him no that he wasn't going to get it no matter how much he whined about it.

"Ichi! Come on! I just wanna read it." Ichigo gave Katsuya a familiar look that he only knew, making him shut up.

"How about this," Ichigo started, "When all of this is over, this Lieutenant's Day, I'll open and read it to you if you remind me." Katsuya nodded.

"Your still not back to your normal self yet." Katsuya sighed.

"I know." Katsuya felt surprised with Ichigo's response but moved on.

"So, since this is a time to recuperate, we're all going to take a break. As much as I want to address this situation, we can't right now."

"How so?" Rukia asked.

"Well, you haven't been involved with your squads in a while, even though you just talked to them yesterday. Despite the fact that we really need to focus on the situation, Ichi's condition is more important. My idea is for everyone to basically act as this hasn't happened for today. So Pineapple, you go back to your squad and check up on them and the destroyed building. Chappy and Ichi, you go check up on the other lieutenant."

"Gah! I totally forgot about Jushiro!" Ichigo sat up straight.

"Yeah. You and Chappy go see if you can help him in any way you can, to keep yourselves occupied. We will go by Toshi's hospital room either today or tomorrow."

"Or tomorrow? What time is it?"

"About two. You've basically been asleep for more than twelve hours. I don't really know what time you went out, but I know you've been out a long time."

"Dang..."

"Don't worry! Most likely it'll be tomorrow. Since you need more rest, you should go to sleep early. I wanted to talk more about this matter when you got back, but I can always say it tomorrow. I'm still thinking about it."

Ichigo let what Katsuya said sink in for a minute. "Your not coming with us?"

"How'd you get that from what I said?" Ichigo shrugged. "Anyways, yeah I'm not going with you two. I mean, I think it would cause suspicions if I decided to tag along. I did just randomly show up you know."

"Makes since."

"Yup! As for me, I have some stuff I want to look into."

"What would that be?"

"Recall what you said earlier to me when I asked you a similar question. None of your business." Katsuya smiled. Ichigo gritted his teeth. "Anyways, you guys should go now. We all have stuff we should be doing before it gets dark."

Everyone who was sitting stood up and started toward the door. Ichigo remembered he didn't have his sword and turned back to get it.

"You shouldn't need that. Your suppose to be relaxing and healing." Ignoring Katsuya, he located his sword and put it on his back. Everyone then stepped outside. "Before you go you two," Katsuya started to say.

"Three." Renji added.

"No, two. Your not going to be with Chappy and Ichi so it's just two. Go do what pineapples do... Whatever they do."

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I don't know. Go somewhere. Not here. Now." Katsuya shooed Renji off. He stubbornly went off after saying he didn't want to know in the first place. "Chappy, I want you to watch Ichi. Make sure he doesn't act awkwardly. I don't know if he still has Ren's personality in him now or not. Like I said before, after the timer has been timed out, the effects will fade away. Ichi is unstable at the moment. Anything that normally pisses Ren off will now affect Ichi."

"What are some things that tick him off?" Rukia asked.

"He doesn't like to be called an idiot. Or hear anything negative about himself from anyone. He's somewhat conceited, so in some situations, he won't hesitate to say something that makes himself seem more awesome, or to make someone cry. It's rare at times though. If you think your going to react in any way that's not yours, excuse yourself from the room Ichi."

"Got it." Ichigo scratched his head boredly.

"Ren does that a lot." Katsuya smiled. Ichigo stopped and looked at his hand, confused. "Getting back on subject, just make sure you watch him Chappy. It does take some pushing to actually get the personality out, but some things are more controlled then others. Now go on you two!" Katsuya pushed Ichigo and Rukia in the direction of Ukitake's office. They willingly let themselves be pushed, until he stopped and retreated toward Ichigo's office. The two looked back at him and sighed. He was waving at them happily.

When Rukia and Ichigo were out of sight, Katsuya took a breath. "I feel like I've been talking to much. I need water now." He gave a slight frown. "Now to put myself to work." Katsuya started to walk in the opposite direction of Ichigo and Rukia.

...

Renji arrived at the building that was destroyed by Byakuya. It was almost fixed, yet no one was working on it at the moment. He sighed. "Man, I don't want to confront him straight up about it, but... Argh! He doesn't usually act like this. What do I say to him?" After he stood there watching the building for a while, he left and headed for his office.

Renji walked to the front door of his office and stood there for a second. Looking inside, he saw the stacks of paper around his desk, just like he left it. Renji wanted to go in, but the voice in his head compelled him to keep walking straight to Byakuya's office. _I need to get my story straight before I go there. Hm... _"This shouldn't be that hard! I'm his superior after all!" Renji hit the wall with his fist.

"What's so hard?" A voice said from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see who it was. "Yo!"

"Katsuya? What're you doing here?" Renji turned his body toward Katsuya so that the front of him was now visible.

"Long story short, I got bored of roaming around and stumbled across squad 6 so I came to see if you were here, and you were, so I decided to come in."

Renji didn't know what to say to him. He could tell him to get out, but he's not really doing anything. Renji took a breath and shifted his weight to his right leg.

"What's so hard?" Katsuya asked again to an impatient looking Renji.

"I'm trying to think of something to say to Cap-...Lieutenant Kuchiki about the building."

"Just ask Lord Byakuya why he used his powers. Like you said, it shouldn't be that hard. I recommend making a conversation instead of just being blunt and saying it. You know, small talk before the big one."

Renji nodded. "Okay... I'll try that."

"Just keep in mind he's a noble! Even though he moved down a rank, he still out ranks you in class." Katsuya smiled. "He doesn't seem to be the type of person to accept people as his equal. I wouldn't talk to him as one. Just do like you would normally do on an ordinary day not like this one."

"Got it." Renji turned around and headed for Byakuya's office, giving Katsuya a 'thank you' wave. Katsuya waved back and then went the opposite way.

"Just be yourself, Renji." Renji stopped and looked back to see an empty hall. Katsuya never called him by his real name before. He was a bit surprised by it.

Getting back on track, Renji continued heading toward Byakuya's office. He walked by a couple window's and walked outside and back inside before he heard a knock on a window beside him. Stopping, he casually looked to see Katsuya up against the glass.

"I meant to say, 'Don't screw it up, Pineapple' not the other thing I said!" Katsuya smiled and hopped away from the window laughing before Renji could answer.

"Damn you!" Renji growled. "What ever. Back to business." Renji continued his walk to Byakuya. He thought of ways to start a conversation with him. He never really made one with Byakuya before that he remembers. _I'm over reacting way to much. _

Renji soon stopped at Byakuya's door. He waited outside of it for a while and then knocked. "Enter." He heard him say this and he did just that.

"Hey!" Renji started off by saying. He leaned against the side of the door not to keep a safe distance from him, but just to act like he normally does when he visits his office.

Byakuya was busily working on paper work. He didn't have a lot, but he was trying to get them done.

His office was set up somewhat like Renji's. Byakuya's looked bigger and had more bookshelves up against the walls. A black and white circular clock was hanging to the right of Byakuya and his desk. Renji heard it tick when silence fell. Byakuya's office almost looked a little too welcoming for his personality. Since it was sunny, the light shined in the room in such a way to make it bright and set a happy mood. It was hard enough to visually see what mood Byakuya was in, and the atmosphere around him confused Renji.

"What is it?" Byakuya said. Renji looked at him before answering.

"Uh, nothing... So, how is your week going so far?" Renji said awkwardly.

Byakuya continued to write as he thought. No one usually asks him that question, especially Renji. "Fine," he said, still working diligently, "Nothing interesting anyway. How has your week been?" Byakuya stopped writing and reread what he wrote. He narrowed his eyes at the paper and started where he left off.

"Let me tell you. It's different from what I thought it was going to be. Ichigo definitely changed my week so far. I've been helping him somewhat as I hung around him, making sure he didn't do anything stupid."

"Hm... Isn't that Rukia's job?"

"Well... Um. Yeah, but something came up."

"You have a duty to be the captain of squad 6. Your mind should be focused on the squad and your responsibilities."

To Renji, it sounded like Byakuya was scolding him like a child. He does have experience being a captain, but Byakuya wasn't at the moment. Renji was. _I'm not going to let him talk that way to me..._ "I am taking this honor seriously and I've learned some things too. It's only been a day or so, so I have a lot of time to tend to my responsibilities. I did finish my work, by the way."

Byakuya put the paper he was writing on into a pile of finished papers. He then grabbed one off the small stack of 'To do' papers and started on that one. Renji waited for him to reply, but he didn't. Katsuya's advice echoed in the back of his mind. Thinking of something else to say, Renji tried again. "Have you talked to any of the squad members?"

"For a short time. They seemed surprised that I was demoted. I thought they were informed already but they weren't." Renji saw Byakuya glance at him for a split second.

"Oh... Well I wonder who that was." Renji looked at his hilt. He knew he forgot to tell them, but didn't know the squad would act like that.

"Mm." Byakuya said quietly. "That was the only interaction with the members of squad 6. They have just bowed and said 'good day' and carried out their duties." Renji heard Byakuya scratch through something and looked up. Byakuya thought he could talk and write at the same time, but he ended up writing down what he said. He rewrote what he intended to write and picked up another paper.

"Really?"

"Yes. I thought they would be more open to me since I was demoted, but they aren't."

"I wonder why..." Renji said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

* * *

><p>Sorry for the wait! Review please!<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 17**

"Oh! Welcome!" Ukitake said to Ichigo and Rukia as they walked in his office. He seemed thrilled to see both of them. "How are you two? Has your stay so far been good Ichigo?"

"It's been-" _Not how I expected it..._ "great! The squads pretty mellow and nice."

Rukia glanced at Ichigo. He was wearing one of his false smiles.

"That's wonderful. I'm glad you are having a good time."

Ukitake's office was located near the front of the entrance to squad 13. It was at the end of a long hall that lead outside. It was more toward the side of squad 13, giving him a view of scenery.

The room was quite mellow. There were flowers located all around the room. On filing cabinets, desks, tables, and some on the floor in long, skinny vases. All of the flowers were bright and cheerful ones. Oranges, reds, yellows; giving the room a happy, welcoming feel to it.

There was a big window, about two feet from the ground, on the opposite side of the room, facing Ukitake's desk, which was to the right of the door. The window was pushed out somewhat to make a place where one could sit and stare out the window. There were blue pillows neatly slanted on each side of the seat, and a cushion under them. The window had a view of a grassy green flower scattered field. The flowers and grass were waving in the wind, making the grass reflect sunlight in random directions.

"What are you up to?" Ichigo asked him.

"I'm just reading right now. This is a very interesting book one of the squad members gave me from the World of the Living. Have you heard of it?" Ukitake put the bookmark in the book and held it up to show it to Ichigo and Rukia. The front cover had a lock printed on it. The lock was silver and was connected to what looked like heavy duty chains. The title of the book was 'The Devil's Diary'.

Rukia and Ichigo looked at it and then at each other, exchanging glances. _Why would someone give a book called 'The Devil's Diary' to him?_ Ichigo and Rukia both thought.

"Oh..." Ichigo looked at Ukitake. "What's it about?"

"Well," Ukitake started happily, "it's about a human finding a diary that looks... well like the cover apparently. The human finds out that it belongs to a demon after he opened and looked through it. The demon appears a couple chapters later and tries to get it back because there are some things that shouldn't be seen in it. The cool part is that the days in the diary match up with the days that the human is reading them. I have yet to figure out what it means though. I'm getting to the good part." He smiled at the two, who were speechless.

"That sounds... interesting." Rukia said thoughtfully.

"Oh it is. You should read it if you come across it in the World of the Living, Ichigo."

"I'll keep that in mind." Ichigo said sympathetically.

Ukitake smiled. "So, why'd you come here?"

"Just seeing what you're doing. Also because I kind of feel useless right now. I haven't done anything captain like yet. Have anything for me to do?"

"Well if you really want to help, I could have you re-organize my bookshelf or put some papers on file if it's not too much trouble. You'd think a lieutenant would be asking that from a captain." Ukitake itched his head with his normal smile.

Ichigo looked over at Ukitake's bookshelf. It looked like a divider could be placed in the middle of the shelf if one wanted to put it there. The divider was leaning on the side of the bookshelf. The books looked organized to Ichigo, but taking a closer look, each shelf had a letter on it, lettered A-Z.

Looking over at the filing cabinet, a lot of papers were stacked around it on the floor. Ichigo stared at them for a few moments and then diverted his attention back to his white haired lieutenant. _He had this planned._

"Okay. I'll try to fix the shelf. Do you want the divider in?"

"If you wouldn't mind. Rukia, why don't you put those papers in the filing cabinet for me."

"Yes sir." She replied and started working on them.

"Why don't you show me that kind of respect, Rukia? I'm your superior here." Ichigo asked. Rukia just smiled and continued doing what was assigned to her. Ukitake chuckled and Ichigo sighed.

The first thing Ichigo did was push the divider back in the bookshelf. He then examined the books in each shelf, trying to find all the A's before moving on to the next letter. When Ichigo moved onto the K's, he found a book on teaching someone how to use Kido. Seeing as Ukitake probably wouldn't mind, Ichigo opened it and skimmed it. He never thought about using Kido before. It never occurred to him. Now that he had a book in front of him teaching him how to do it, it made him wonder. Could anyone learn the spells just by following the steps? Do you have to be a soul reaper to learn it? Can substitute soul reapers use it even if they were human?

Ichigo flipped to a page that showed someone how to do the movements and incantations for the Hado 31, Shakkaho. Interested, Ichigo skimmed the incantation and what he was suppose to physically do. Before he was about to do it, he thought about the outcomes. If he could perform this technique, then what if it blew up on him? If he couldn't, he'd just look stupid. Despite his curiosity, he closed the book and put it in the K section.

After a while of organizing and on and off chats, Ichigo and Rukia finished.

"Anything else?" Rukia asked politely.

"You could help me with these." Ukitake pointed to the paper he was writing on. Rukia nodded and picked up a pen from his cup of pencils, pens, and markers on his desk. Ichigo tilted his head to one side. "Don't worry. I have something I want you to do for me Ichigo." Ukitake looked under his desk and grabbed a box. He then grabbed an orange envelope off his desk. "If it's not much trouble, could you drop the box off at squad 9 and the envelope off at squad 1? I know it''s kind of far, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"It's fine. I'll do it." Ichigo accepted the items. He then opened the door and waved. The door closed behind him as he vanished behind it. Ukitake and Rukia went on with they're papers like nothing happened.

After a few minutes, Rukia decided to ask Ukitake about the items he gave to Ichigo. Since she was basically on his level, she thought it would be okay.

"The package is a secret." Ukitake said with a smile. "The envelope is for... I was debating on weather or not to tell you about it, but you do have the right to know."

Rukia thought for a second. What did he have to debate about? Was it good or bad news? Questions bombarded her mind as she waited for Ukitake to tell her. She realized what it was about after looking at his face for a moment and thinking about the envelope.

"Oh." She said.

"Yes. It's two days from now. Thursday. At the usual place."

"Should I tell him, or keep it a secret."

"It's up to you. You should keep it a secret until then if you ask me."

"Okay then." Rukia thought about Thursday. With any luck, it might be a normal Lieutenant's Day Thursday. She hoped that there wouldn't be any problems.

...

After giving the package to Shuhei, Ichigo headed for squad 1. While walking, he took the time to actually examine the envelope. It was an ordinary gigantic one that was orangish brown in color. It wasn't addressed to anyone, which eliminated the suggestion to just leave it with squad 9.

Curious, Ichigo held it up toward the sun, to see if he could see what was in it. The envelope wasn't that heavy and from what Ichigo could see, there was only a couple of papers resting inside. It didn't look interesting anymore to him, but he wanted to open it. Respecting the privacy of Ukitake and whoever this was for in squad 1, he let it go.

Somewhat close to squad 1, Ichigo started to jump buildings to get there faster. He noticed that he was getting better with the area. He could point himself in the right direction. It bothered him though, because just yesterday he was somewhat having trouble with directions. Remembering Katsuya's words, he thought about this being part of Ren's memory. When Ichigo was yelling at Katsuya in his office, he said that he had to find 'them'. It made him think that Ren was lost and roaming around aimlessly. He did have Ichigo's thought process and memories though, so that could have thrown him off. Was Ichigo unconsciously tapping into Ren's memories? Whatever it was, Ichigo pushed it to the side. He was suppose to be relaxing, and this was going to stress him out.

Arriving at squad 1, Ichigo saw Chojiro about to enter the gates. Ichigo called out to him.

"Hello." He said.

"Jushiro asked me to bring this here. I don't know what it's for, but..." Ichigo handed him the package.

"Oh, thank you. I know what it's for." He smiled. The moment turning awkward, Ichigo told Chojiro he'd see him around and started to walk away. Chojiro waved and told him goodbye. He then went through the gates.

Ichigo let out a sigh as he walked back to squad 13. He was a bit tired. There was too much going on, especially this morning, or afternoon and he felt drained. Ichigo was still recovering from his injuries and needed rest. He told himself he would hurry back to Ukitake and Rukia and tell them he's going to rest for a while. Accepting his decision, Ichigo started to jump the roofs of buildings again.

"Hey! Ichigo!" A familiar voice came from below. Ichigo stopped and looked to his right. As he looked down, he saw a glare that flashed in his eyes.

"Ikkaku?" Ichigo said, stepping out of the light that was shining in his eyes.

"What's up?" Ikkaku asked as Ichigo jumped off of the roof to talk.

"Just heading back to squad 13."

Ikkaku paused for a second, thinking. "Interesting. Since your going there, why not stop and visit my squad? You know, the lieutenant has been itching for a new battle."

"Oh, that's okay, I-"

"Nonsense! Come on, don't be a chicken." Ikkaku grabbed Ichigo by the arm and started pulling him to squad 11.

...

"La la la la, la la la la, Katsuya's world..." Katsuya walked the paths of the Seireitei boredly. He knew what he was after, but he had bad thoughts about it.

"When we first got here, I told everyone to go to the Rukon District, but they never did, bringing me here. We didn't look for Shu either. I bet this conflict would of been over if we went together at the same time. Hm..." Katsuya traced the wall with his finger, thinking. "I should go look for him. But what would happen if he sees me and tries to catch me. He needs me out of the way after all. Shu wouldn't kill me, but still..." By the time Katsuya was finished saying this, he was sitting on one of the walls, kicking his legs. "No need to make myself down like this! It's a day of relaxation, and if I know Ren well enough, I know he's probably sleeping now. I wonder what Shu's doing..." Katsuya slid off the roof, but didn't land on the ground.

"Oof!" Katsuya looked under him to see a soul reaper on the ground. Another one was stunned.

"Sorry! Sorry sorry sorry!" Katsuya jumped off the soul reaper and apologized, bowing and waving his hands frantically. "I didn't see you... Ther- You! What's your face!" Katsuya snapped his finger trying to remember the soul reaper's names. "Alex and Miota?"

"What are you doing here?" Alex asked.

"Thinking. You?" Katsuya replied.

"About to go out for a mission."

"Oh." There was a moment of silence as Miota stood up.

"Hey," Miota started, "did you say something about a person named Shu?"

"Yeah. He's my buddy, but lately he's been up to something. Why'd you ask?"

"We know someone by that name."

"Really? Does he have short dark brown hair that goes down to his shoulders? Glasses?"

"Yeah."

"Wears something that looks like a captains jacket around his waist?"

"Mhm."

"Then we are talking about the same person. Well, I've never met anyone who knew Shu. Are you guys friends with him?"

"Well, you could say that." Alex answered.

"He was a seated officer in Squad 4. Maybe the 4th seat or something. I don't remember because its been a while, but he was a seated officer."

"Really now? He never told me that..."

"You talk as though you recently spoke to him. Why's that?" Miota asked.

"Not recently, but I have spoken to him. Some time ago. Like I said, we're buddies. I guess you could say I came here to visit him." Katsuya smiled.

"You know where he is?" The two exclaimed.

"Not exactly. He's somewhere in the Rukon District though. He moves way to much."

"That explains that feeling me and Miota had earlier in the Rukon District..."

"Feeling? Hm... Can you tell me more?"

"Actually we can." Alex said. "We were in the Rukon District when, long story short, a friend of ours named Anny showed up and started talking about a feeling that Shu was somewhere. We agreed and she told us that she's been getting a vibe from Captain Kurosaki. We did too but we didn't notice. It felt somewhat like Shu's presence."

"A vibe from Ichi?" Katsuya thought about this new information. Shu was definitely in the Rukon District, so the feelings Alex and Miota were getting was somewhat expected. A vibe from Ichigo was different. _What would explain that... _Katsuya thought. _Maybe it's Ren. I know from my snooping that Ren was created with some of Shu's spirit energy so that's probably why. If he was a 4th seat long time ago, why hasn't anyone noticed this from Ichi? _"Tell me," Katsuya said, "Why isn't Shu in the Seireitei anymore?"

The two looked at Katsuya sadly. "We really don't know." Miota said. "All we heard is that he was sentenced to death after we woke up."

"Woke up?"

"Him, Hana, Anny and I got in an accident around the time he got the death sentence. We were sent to the World of the Living to help a pair of soul reapers because a hollow beat one of them. The other one beat it, but wasn't able to carry the other back. After we got there and healed them, they left after they told us there might be injured souls around the area. We stayed and looked but didn't find any. When we were ready to go back, another hollow appeared and we started to fight it."

"Hold on. I thought squad 4 couldn't fight."

"Despite the rumors, we do have some fighting capabilities. We can heal better then we can fight though." Alex said.

"Anyways... The hollow had strange abilities. It could body jump. It basically beat us up in our bodies, but Hana got the worse hit. When the hollow jumped to her, it used it's ability. It had apparently some type of poison spit. It burned the inside of her throat... She's just recently recovered. I remember Shu coming to help us. He took us back to squad 4 and that's where my memory stops. By the time we woke up, someone told us Shu had a death sentence but he never actually got it. They said he went missing after he got there."

"Do you know if he healed you?"

"No. We aren't for sure anyway. Usually, when he heals, he'll use his technique. Since we were unconscious, we would of felt a stinging sensation when we woke up, but we didn't."

"I saw a bottle next to my bed though. Shu use to do a lot of experiments so that bottle was his I guess." Alex added.

"If he did a lot of experiments, shouldn't he have been in that researching squad?" Katsuya asked.

"Yeah, he was being promoted at the time he saved us. He was leaving to be a 3rd seat in squad 12 to assist the captain and lieutenant directly."

Katsuya jumped back on the wall he was sitting on before and thought. He was trying to make a connection between the events and his death sentence up to now. _He did a lot of experiments in squad 4 to make medicine I assume, so maybe something went wrong there... _Katsuya patted the spots next to him, telling the two to join him.

"I bet what Shu's doing now has something to do with you guys... I need to catch you guys up on what's happening, because if it is about you, then I bet I can stop whatever Shu's trying to do before it gets out of hand." Alex and Miota looked confused. "Don't worry." Katsuya reassured them. "It might take a while to explain..."

Alex and Miota listened in disbelief at what the little boy was talking about. They didn't want to believe that Shu was doing something like this. They really wanted to help Katsuya and everyone else stop Shu before he did something he was going to regret.

"That's terrible! So Lieutenant Hitsugaya is in the sickbay because of Ren?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. Ichi had nothing to do with it. He's been struggling lately and I think I've been to relaxed with this because everything is going wrong. I don't want anything else bad happening, but it's hard to avoid. I want to end this ASAP but I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Today, Ichi is resting from the fight. And I'm afraid he'd get serious injuries if he went to stop Shu today. I have to fill Toshi in on this tomorrow because I'm pretty sure everyone is doing something right now, and it's getting somewhat late."

"Hey, you've been referring to Captain as 'Ichi'. Why do you do that?" Miota pointed out.

"Because, he's my friend."

"Even if you are is friend, your still a soul reaper who's under him."

"You got that wrong. I'm not a soul reaper. I'm human." The two looked at each other and then at Katsuya. "Well, I better head back," Katsuya jumped off the roof of the wall. "I'll come get you when the time is right, okay? See ya around!" He started to walk away when Alex told him to wait. "Don't you guys have to be somewhere?"

"I completely forgot! Come on!" The two stood up and jumped away, waving.

"Don't forget to fill Hana and Anny in on this! I need all of you!" Katsuya called to them. They nodded and continued leaving.

"I wonder what Ichi's doing..." Katsuya started toward squad 13.

...

"N-N-No! I'm not fighting you again!" Ichigo said, putting his hands in front of himself.

"Come on Ichigo, it's just a sparing match." Kenpachi said innocently.

"Then why's your sword out?" Ichigo pointed to his unsheathed, nameless sword in his hand. Kenpachi looked at it and then back at Ichigo, smiling. Noticing this, Ichigo jumped out the nearest open window and started running. "No way! Your crazy!"

"Aw! Ichi's running!" Yachiru said giggling.

"Get back here!" Kenpachi shouted. Seeing as Ichigo wasn't going to stop, he used flash step to catch up to him. Ichigo saw this and dodged Kenpachi's hand. Irritated, Kenpachi swung his sword at Ichigo, who blocked with Zangetsu.

"Are you crazy?" Ichgio yelled at him.

"Not at all," Kenpachi smiled wildly. He removed his sword from Ichigo's and swung again, making Ichigo block a second time. He kept coming at Ichigo until Ichigo countered. "Whoever dies first loses." Kenpachi added pressure to his sword. Not liking this, Ichigo pushed back and jumped away from him. Looking at his options, he could either continue until one of them died, or run. Picking the second option, Ichigo flash stepped a couple of times away from Kenpachi, after telling him he wasn't going to fight him.

"Aw!" Yachiru said, popping up from Kenpachi's back. "He left. Aren't you going to go after him?"

"Tch... No. I'd have to chase him all around the Seireitei before he'd actually stop and fight. I'd rather not tire myself out like that." Kenpachi turned and went back inside, a bit irritated he didn't get to fight Ichigo.

"Okay then! There's always next time!"

...

Making sure, Kenpachi wasn't following him, Ichigo stopped near squad 13 and took a breath. He then returned Zangetsu to his rightful place on his back. "I'm glad I ignored Katsuya about not bringing Zangetsu..."

When Ichigo got to his temporary office, he propped Zangetsu on the wall next to his room and flopped himself on one of the couches in the room. He was definitely tired. He wanted to just lay down in his bed and go to sleep but he needed to inform Rukia and Ukitake that he was back. Thinking about this for a while, he laid down on the couch. He knew he was going to fall asleep if he laid down, but he was too lazy to get up and lay in his bed. If he made himself get up, he'd make himself go over to where Rukia and Ukitake were, and he didn't feel like doing that.

Feeling sleep starting to take over, he closed his eyes lazily and put his hands behind his head.

X

Rukia and Katsuya knocked, and opened the door to Ichigo's office about an hour later. They saw Ichigo sleeping on the couch and sighed."He never sleeps on his bed," Rukia whispered to Katsuya. She sighed.

"What was it you wanted to tell me?" Katsuya whispered back to her.

"On Thursday, I'm not going to be here for the first half of the day. All of the lieutenants are actually going to be at Sokyoku Hill, along with some seated officers and soul reapers."

"What for?" Katsuya asked.

He opened one eye, listening.

"Well, I can't tell you now really. It's a surprise."

"A surprise? Sounds fun!"

"I just wanted to tell you because Ichigo wouldn't know about it, and I know he'd ask you. Just tell him something came up. Bring him to Sokyoku Hill around noon."

"Are there going to be more soul reapers that come after noon?"

"Yeah. Since we still need security, some of them are going to stay behind and patrol the Seireitei. They'll take shifts though."

"I wonder what you're planning." Katsuya said eagerly.

"You'll see Thursday." She smiled. "Since he apparently took the couch, take his bed."

"Okays!" Rukia closed the door silently.

Katsuya sat on the opposite couch from a sleeping Ichigo. He sighed. "I wonder if you heard any of that... I hope you didn't. I should of asked her to tell me on the way." Katsuya got up and went into Ichigo's room, closing the door silently behind him. He took the soul reaper uniform off and fixed his normal clothes on him. He folded them and placed them on the desk, then folded the covers over so he could sit in the bed. Flipping the pillow over, Katsuya laid down and pulled the covers over himself.

X

He crossed his legs and sniffed. He then took in a deep breath and scratched his head. "Looks like I have plans Thursday." He laughed and flipped over on the couch.

* * *

><p>I was reading over a few chapters so I could write this one because I need the stories to match up, and I noticed I had a lot of spelling errors. I thought I looked over them thoroughly but I guess not. Sorry for the spelling torture!<p> 


	18. Chapter 18

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 18**

Ichigo opened his eyes slowly and yawned. He flipped over on the couch to see out the window. It seemed like it was around eight in the morning, because the sun's rays were peaking into the office.

He laid on the couch for a while, not wanting to get up yet. He still felt tired and was determined to get rid of that feeling. Ichigo kicked off his shoes, seeing as he left them on during the night. Cold, he took off his captains jacket and laid it over himself, curling up so his body was under it, and shoved his feet between the back cushions and the seat cushions. His attempt to warm himself up failed, but he stayed in that position for a while, trying to make himself go back to sleep.

The next time he opened his eyes, Ichigo was hit by sun rays. Seeing as it was about an hour after he woke up the first time, he decided to sit up. He sat there, pushing his captains jacket to the side, staring out the window for a while. There wasn't anything for him to really think about at the moment, that he wanted to think about.

He scratched his stomach and remembered he had been injured. He checked on his wounds, applying pressure on them to see if they still hurt. There was some pain in some areas, but it wasn't enough to bother him. He was going to squad 4 today in the first place, so Hanataro could check him to see if he could take the bandages off.

Ichigo stood up to stretch when he felt a tad dizzy and sat back down. He felt like his head was spinning. Or rather something was spinning inside his head. In his memories. This memory, he assumed, kept moving around in his head so he couldn't concentrate on it. This kept going for a while until it stopped, and the memory vanished. Confused, Ichigo sat there for a moment. He obviously felt like he forgot something. It felt important enough for him to worry, but he couldn't do anything about it. Ignoring it, he stood up once more.

Wondering where Katsuya was, Ichigo opened the door to his back room. He saw Katsuya sleeping, facing the wall. Since he didn't want to wake him, Ichigo left the room, and his office after slipping into his shoes, grabbing Zangetsu and his Captains jacket.

Ichigo gave another yawn and took in the beautiful morning. It felt pretty good to him. Today felt like a day for training, or some fun outdoor activity, but he guessed he wasn't going to get that.

"Good morning!" Katsuya said cheerfully behind Ichigo. This made Ichigo jump.

"I thought you were asleep." Ichigo said, turning toward him.

"I was, but your not good with closing doors silently."

"What ever."

Katsuya reached for Zangetsu, but Ichigo moved his sword before he could take it. "He's too heavy for you to hold."

"Na uh! I'm strong." Katsuya whined.

"Sure you are."

Katsuya stood there, giving Ichigo a childish glare when he remembered something. "You know, I guess I forgot about this after a while of being occupied, but now that I remember..." Katsuya gave a devilish smile. Ichigo just stared at him.

Katsuya motioned for Ichigo to get eye level with him, but Ichigo heard his name from behind him, so he ignored Katsuya, who pouted.

"Good morning Chappy! Tenran! Pineapple" Katsuya said. The three said the same back, but Rangiku looked at Katsuya funny, not use to her nickname yet.

"Rangiku was getting us so we could head over to visit Lieutenant Hitsugaya." Rukia said.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that, but I didn't! Let's go!" Katsuya jumped around.

"You're older then my sisters and yet they act older then you." Ichigo said, irritated about his hyperness.

"I'm just trying to get the mood up Ichi! Until I tell you what's on my mind at Toshi's room!" He spun into Renji, who pushed him away. Katsuya laughed and continued with his fun.

"I guess we should get going." Rangiku said, starting to turn around. Everyone followed.

...

Rangiku knocked on Toshiro's door. She heard a blunt 'Enter' from Toshiro and opened the door. When she walked in, she told them that he had visitors, and he nodded.

Rukia and Renji were the first to enter. The two exchanged their 'Hello's' and 'Good morning's' and stood aside to let the other two come in. Katsuya entered with a loud 'Toshi!' and skipped in joyfully. Ichigo walked in last and didn't make eye contact or say anything to Toshiro.

Rangiku took her spot by Toshiro's bed. Rukia sat on a chair to the right of his bed, seeing as someone brought it in and didn't take it out when they visited. Renji stood on the side where Rukia was, but leaned on the wall with the windows. Katsuya stood by Ichigo, who was sitting by the door.

Ichigo felt a little uneasy after entering the room. He had mixed emotions sailing threw his body. One of them made him feel a bit embarrassed. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to be in the room with Toshiro at the time. Another emotion made him feel triumphant and strong. Knowing that those weren't his real feelings, he pushed them aside, to the back of his mind. There was no use trying to think of why he had the feelings, already knowing they weren't his own.

Toshiro stared at Ichigo for a few seconds. He had his eyes closed, making him assume he was thinking. He felt some sympathy for Ichigo, in the least. Knowing that he beat up Toshiro with his hands unconsciously probably made him not want to talk or communicate with him. Understanding how he felt, Toshiro made it clear to himself that he wasn't going to talk to Ichigo not unless he had no choice.

Throwing his mind somewhere else, Toshiro turned his attention to the boy smiling at him eagerly from across the room. "Is this the child?" Toshiro asked Rangiku. She nodded.

"Hi! My names Katsuya, but you can call me Kat and I can call you Toshi-!"

"Call me Lieutenant Hitsugaya."

"Alrighty then Toshi!"

Toshiro gave out a sigh, seeing as he wasn't going to get Katsuya to call him what he wanted. _He's just like Ichigo... _He thought to himself.

Katsuya twirled. "So!" He said cheerfully to Toshiro. "How's your injuries? They all better now?"

He hesitated before answering. "Yes. I should be able to move my right arm tomorrow, hopefully."

"That's good! No, that's great! I hope it takes less time then that!" Katsuya put his arm on Ichigos shoulder and looked at him. Ichigo looked at him from the corner of his eye. "How are _you _doing, Ichi?"

Ichigo didn't really know how to answer the question. He felt fine at the moment, but he wasn't really feeling okay. There was too much going on for him to feel okay. Just to please Katsuya, Ichigo told him he was fine.

"You feel like yourself?"

"Y...yeah..." He found that to be an awkward question, but he knew where it was coming from.

"So if I were to do something like yesterday morning, you'd be yourself?" Ichigo didn't answer. He didn't know if he'd act that way again. "Do you want me to try it?"

"No." Ichigo said bluntly.

"Hm!" Katsuya clapped and spun in the middle of the room.

"Why are you so happy today?"

"Because! I wanted to see if I could raise the spirits of everyone before I speak. You guys are no fun though, so it's not working." Katsuya sighed. "Now, onto the business we came here for! First off, I need to explain what's going on here to them and then I can start. Don't want you to be lost while I'm talking."

Katsuya explained who Ren was, and a little about Shu to Rangiku and Toshiro. He basically explained that Shu put Ren in Ichigo for some unknown purpose. He only knew that Ren was out to get a group of people from what he can assume.

He also informed them about what's been happening to Ichigo during this time. How he's struggling to keep himself in control, and trying to control his reactions to things.

"I see," Toshiro said.

"Now that that is out of the way, onto the part we've all been waiting for!" Katsuya put his right hand on his hip. "Now, on my little journey I took yesterday, I ran into those two soul reapers that gave you the glasses." He pointed at Ichigo. "He over heard me talking about Shu and told me that they knew him. It doesn't seem like much, but in some cases, it's a big deal. They said that he was a fourth seat in squad 4, if I remember right."

Ichigo couldn't put his finger on it, but what Katsuya said rang a bell for him. Thinking back, Ichigo remembered Katsuya told him that Shu took the memory of him and Shu's meeting away after healing him. He kept thinking that when he did meet Shu, Shu told him about him being involved in squad 4. It was on a hunch though, so he wasn't sure. Having part of his memory taken out irritated Ichigo.

"Alex and Miota said that they were in an accident while he was fourth seat. In short, they got beaten by a hollow but Shu came to rescue them. Apparently, all of them were unconscious at the time, or somewhat. When they woke up, someone told them that Shu had been sentenced to death, but didn't tell them why. There is a big gap between the time they were healed and the time Shu got away." Katsuya took in some air. "Toshi, I meant to ask you this earlier, but does Shu even ring a bell for you?"

"No, it doesn't." Toshiro replied.

"Really? I thought stuff like this would of been made public."

"Some stuff is covered up by the head captain, so he won't tell anyone, even the captains, about it."

"It must of been covered then."

"I wonder what he did." Rangiku said sighing.

"I have a theory." Katsuya started. "Since apparently Alex told me he saw a bottle that supposedly belonged to Shu, maybe Shu was going to go work on them and set all of his medicine and stuff everywhere, but forgot something and left the room. When he left, a group of soul reapers tiptoed in and slipped something in the medicine to make them sleep longer then they should of. After they left and Shu returned, he performed his healing and left. When the four soul reapers he healed didn't wake up after a while, someone reported this and got Shu in trouble, giving him a harsh punishment. This is my opinion though, so I don't know how close I am. Ichi did mention there was a 'them' so that's what I assume." There was a moment of silence before Katsuya broke it. "What do you think?"

"It sounds... Accurate." Renji said unsure.

"Do you know if anyone had a grudge on Shu?" Rukia asked.

"No..." Katsuya replied.

"Not so accurate now, is it?" Ichigo said, opening one eye to see Katsuya's reaction.

"H-hush!" He said, filling air into his cheeks. "Do you have anything better? Ichi?"

Thinking about it, Ichigo decided to answer Katsuya's challenge. If Ren's memories still flowed through his head, he could probably give a more accurate guess then anyone else. He could maybe even get the real story. Taking a deep breath, Ichigo gave it a shot.

"Well, maybe Shu used the wrong medicine on them. Maybe to make them sleep longer. You said that Shu healed them right? So maybe he made some medicine, but it was designed for something else, or he used something else to make it so it would only work well on that thing. He could have gave it to them, forgetting it wasn't suppose to work on them and left. Since he was sentenced to death, maybe whatever made them sleep longer stopped or slowed their heart beat but kept them alive, but presented them as dead." Ichigo ended their, not knowing what else to say to them. He was pretty confident in his answer, though. It felt right to him.

Katsuya analyzed what he just heard. He knew that he had to pay attention to every little thing that Ichigo said because it might bring out more clues. Katsuya noticed he didn't suspect anyone besides Shu in his theory. He didn't know weather to call it out, or let it sink in more. If Ren was after more then one person, then wouldn't it be for whatever happened to the four soul reapers? Was Shu even blamed for this incident? Could it be for something else? Is he after revenge?

Ichigo also mentioned an artificial death. Katsuya knew he was off when he mentioned a longer sleep. Just making them sleep longer wasn't going to get Shu a death sentence. Ichigo's answer did sound better then his. Katsuya mashed his imagination with his theory, making it less trustworthy then anyone else who guessed on the subject.

No one spoke for a moment, making Ichigo feel like he said something wrong. "Well?" He said impatiently.

"Very interesting. It's making me think, that's all. You said some things I didn't consider." Katsuya told them his thoughts on Ichigo's theory, excluding his opinion on Shu's intent.

"Now that you mention it," Toshiro said, "it does sound like something like that would happen here. Or in squad 12."

"Shu was being promoted to the third seat in squad 12. I was told he did a lot of experiments during his time in squad 4. I assume for making medicine."

"Is that so? That could contribute to the idea of this artificial death."

"Yeah... What's that sound?" Katsuya turned his attention to the door when he heard a slight creak. The door seemed like it was being pushed open slowly. Everyone turned their attention to the door. Ichigo peeked out of it, since he was the closest to it. He didn't see anything though. When it was about a couple of inches open, something flew through and stopped beside Ichigo. He stood up and looked at the black and pinkish hell butterfly.

It fluttered by Ichigo. He knew they were used to relay messages to everyone, but he never understood how they did. He never heard one talk before. Maybe it had something to do with the contact on their fingers. Then again, sometimes they just floated beside a soul reaper and they still got the message.

Ichigo stared at it for a while, not knowing how to use it. Getting irritated, Rukia stood up. "Move." She said. The butterfly landed on Rukia's outstretched finger and she gave them the gist of what the butterfly told her. "All the captains are being called for a Captain's Meeting right now." Rukia looked at the three new captain's in the room.

"Well, I guess that's us." Renji said, sighing. Renji waved to Toshiro and Rukia and walked out the room, followed by Rangiku and Katsuya. Ichigo grabbed Katsuya's awkward looking shihakusho and stopped him from walking.

"What's up Ichi? We're gonna be late." Katsuya said.

"'We'?" Ichigo somewhat echoed him. "You're staying here. We, as in me Renji and Rangiku, are leaving.

"But-"

"No. Just stay with Rukia and Toshiro. This is a Captain's Meeting. Only captains are aloud." Katsuya gave him the puppy dog face, but Ichigo looked away, pulling him further into the room planting him beside Rukia. Ichigo let go of Katsuya and walked out the door, shutting it.

Katsuya looked at the two he was left with innocently. He then directed his attention to Toshiro. "So... Tell me about your battle. I want every detail."

X

Ichigo followed Rangiku and Renji down the hall silently. They dodged several squad 4 members as they walked. About to turn a corner, the trio started to hear faint cursing and apologies.

"Watch it!"

"E-excuse me!"

"Move runt!"

"I'm- I'm terribly sorry!"

When the voices got louder, along with rapid footsteps and wheel noises, Renji and Rangiku stopped to see what it was. Noticing this, Ichigo turned around, or somewhat glanced before being pushed to the ground. Or more like ran over.

"Ah!" Ichigo grunted from what little pain he had. This pain grew though, which was unwanted. He saw medical supplies scatter everywhere from falling off the cart, and someone fly beside and past him and land in front of Renji. The soul reaper looked up and started to freak out.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He said bowing frantically. He then turned to see Ichigo on his stomach, trying to move the over sized cart off of him. "Ah! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!"

"Hanataro?" Ichigo almost gasped.

The whole hallway was silent. Everyone who was going the opposite way stopped and turned to see what happened. They were all interested in what was going to happen. Hanataro just ran into not one but nearly two Captains. They wanted to see what type of punishment he was going to be given. Little did they know that Ichigo and Renji knew and was friends with Hanataro.

"I-Ichigo?" Hanataro asked before realizing what he said. He slapped his hand over his mouth.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo thought about what he had said for him to do that. He only said his name. What was the big deal? Then again, Ichigo was suppose to be addressed as 'Captain' now.

"I apologize!" He said bowing yet again.

"It's okay. I don't care if you call me captain or not. Your my friend, after all." Calming down a bit, Hanataro gave a sigh of relief.

"Are you hurt? Are your," he leaned in closer to Ichigo to whisper. "wounds okay?"

"Uh, yeah they're alright. They're just... painful to the touch... now." Hanataro was about to start apologizing once more when Ichigo said it was alright and that he shouldn't say sorry a lot to one person.

Ichigo shoved the cart off of him and sat it and himself up straight. Ichigo then picked a few medicine bottles up and placed them on the top shelf of the cart. Renji and Rangiku started to help him out.

"Oh, no you don't have to do that." Hanataro said. Renji and Rangiku insisted and continued. Ichigo looked over his shoulder to still see the soul reapers standing there. Annoyed, Ichigo said something.

"You guys can go back to work now. Go do what... squad 4 people do." Ichigo shooed them away. Seeing as they couldn't disobey, they went on with their business, but did it slowly.

When all four of them finished cleaning up the mess, Hanataro apologized once more before telling Ichigo that he could take his bandages off if he wanted to. The trio then began to leave squad 4 and head to the meeting while picking up their pace.

* * *

><p>Meeting time!<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 19**

After picking up their pace even more after they left squad 4, the trio made it in time for the meeting. The only person left was the captain of squad 11, Yachiru. Chojiro was also absent, but they assumed he'd come in after everyone was accounted for.

Ichigo made his way beside an empty spot, seeming as Yachiru was suppose to stand beside him. Ichigo noticed that all even numbered captains were on one side of the room and odd on the other. That's how he came up with his placement.

Renji and Rangiku took their spots next to Nanao, who was greeting them.

Staring straight ahead, somewhat nervously, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Don't look so obvious." Shuhei smiled. "We barely come in here, so everyone is probably a bit nervous."

Ichigo relaxed his shoulders. "Really?"

"Yeah, when we had our meetings as lieutenant's, we sat down at a long table and discuses issues. This is a big change."

"I see." Just as Ichigo said that, a pink haired girl jumped in the room. She giggled and laughed, skipping to her spot and waving at Ichigo. Everyone seemed to ignore her.

"Hey Ichi!"

After she walked in, the captain of squad 1 entered. The room fell silent as he made it to his spot on the other side of the room. Ichigo took a deep breath and watched everyone else, to see how they acted.

"Thank you for all gathering here on such short notice," he began. "I hope you all are enjoying your week." Chojiro gave a smile and continued. "As most of you know, squad 10's Lieutenant has been injured. The meeting was delayed, due to me and the Head Captain having to work out a few issues before it could take place."

Before Chojiro even started to get to the point, Ichigo already knew where this meeting was going. He probably wanted them to search around to see if there was some rogue activity happening in the Soul Society.

"Captain Matsumoto, do you have anything to report from your lieutenant?"

"From what he told me," she said firmly, "Lieutenant Hitsugaya said the attack was a blur. He couldn't tell who or what hit him due to a surprise attack and the lighting. He assumed there was more than one person attacking from the sound of multiple swords. He did the best he could to defend himself, but he was overwhelmed and defeated."

What Rangiku said was basically true. Toshiro was hit by multiple swords, but it wasn't a surprise attack and the lighting didn't bother him. Katsuya had told them that if anyone asks about what happened, scratch the surface of what really happened. He gave them a scenario so their stories would all match up if someone were to ask Rangiku and then Toshiro to confirm.

"It seems like there are more rebel soul reapers out there."

"I thought they were all wiped out." Yachiru bounced. "Kenny was the last one to encounter and finish them off. He did it not to long ago!"

"That's true, but things change." Chojiru said. "It appears as though we need to settle this matter once again. Since we are late, I want search parties to be formed to find and eliminate the threat. I want Captain Abarai to search, with his lieutenant and several other soul reapers, the Seireitei with Captain Matsumoto and her selected soul reapers." Chojiro paused to look at Ichigo. Not wanting to break the awkward stare, Ichigo held it, getting a bad feeling. "It's time to prove to us that you have what it takes to be a captain. I want Captain Kurosaki and Captain Hisagi to bring whoever is necessary out to the Rukon District and search for the rebel forces. If you find the traitors, eliminate them. If you happen to find their base of operation, don't destroy the base on sight, but only the rebels. Search the place, then destroy it and report back on your findings. That goes for the other two captains as well."

Ichigo didn't like the thought of killing other soul reapers. Even if they were traitors, they were still soul reapers. Shouldn't they be arrested instead of killed? Then again, they were attacking the Seireitei, thus making them a threat. Even though the traitors, in this case, didn't exist, it was still a cruel thing to do. Ichigo now knew what Chojiro meant about proving himself. If he didn't have what it took to eliminate former allies, then he'd probably be marked a traitor himself and be killed, or maybe arrested. Whatever the case, he was a captain so he had no choice.

"I want the rest you to resume what you were doing. That is all."

With that, everyone started to leave the room, Ichigo included. He stepped out and stood at the side of the door to wait for Renji and Rangiku.

"Hey, Ichigo." Shuhei said, standing beside him. He remembered that Shuhei was his partner for today. "Let's meet outside of your squad in thirty minutes so we can go together, okay?"

"Sure." Ichigo said. With that Shuhei walked down the hall, saying bye to Ichigo. Renji and Rangiku came after that.

"Good luck." Renji said.

"It doesn't seem that hard." Ichigo said, walking with the two.

"Yeah it doesn't, but you've never done this before."

"I can handle it."

"Sure."

...

Ichigo found Rukia and Katsuya in front of his office door, talking. When Katsuya spotted Ichigo, he waved and jumped.

"Ichi! How'd it go?"

"Okay, I guess. Apparently I have a mission with Shuhei."

"Really?" Rukia asked.

"Yeah. I'm suppose to bring a team to the Rukon District and search for 'rogue soul reapers'."

"That's what they came up with?" Katsuya gave a childish scoff.

"Apparently. I mean, if someone gets attacked out of the blue and there's no explanation, what would you blame it on?" Katsuya said nothing. "Anyways, I have about 25 minutes left before I meet Shuhei at the front of squad 13. I want to ask Jushiro if he wants to come."

"He can't. He's feeling a bit under the weather today. I ran into Sentaro and Kiyone when I was going to his office and they said he wasn't there and that he felt sick."

"I guess I'll settle for you then." Ichigo put his hand on Rukia's head and shook it playfully. This reminded them both of their first encounter. The first time Ichigo ever did this, Rukia paralyzed him.

Rukia glared at him and threatened to make the past a reality again. Not wanting that, he removed his hand and stepped back a few steps.

"So I get to come right?" Katsuya said with a wink and a smile.

"No, you stay here." Ichigo pointed to his door. "You don't need to come. Your suppose to not draw to much attention to yourself or people will start asking who you are."

"Ichigo is right. The soul reapers here know each face in the squad, so if you come randomly, they'll start asking where you came from." Rukia agreed.

Katsuya pouted. "No fair! What if something happens? I know about the situation better then anyone does."

"We can manage." Ichigo sighed. Katsuya frowned.

"Getting back on subject," Ichigo said, "How do I call a squad meeting?"

"I'll handle that." Rukia said.

"Can I at least come to that?" Katsuya said with a hint of begging in his voice.

Letting out a big sigh, Ichigo nodded. "I guess. Right after that, you come right back here and stay in there and out of sight. Got it?"

Katsuya jumped. "You got it!"

X

Ichigo found himself standing in front of a crowd of squad members, Rukia by his side. Katsuya stood in the back right corner of the room, giving him thumbs up. Ignoring this, Ichigo focused on his squad. He didn't really know what to say to them, seeming as this was his first time ever doing this. Ichigo had to admit, he was nervous. He wasn't going to let Renji be right though. _This will be easy. No, this IS easy._ Ichigo thought to himself, trying to give himself some self confidence.

"Okay!" Ichigo clapped, trying to get the room silent. Everyone stopped what they were saying and faced forward, somewhat simultaneously. He basically cut to the chase. Ichigo told them that he needed a small group to go on a mission with him to the Rukon District. Since he didn't know how he was going to go about choosing about six squad members out of a room filled with them, he decided to narrow down the selection. Apologizing for the trouble, Ichigo told the people with their own assignments or people with other things to do that's work related to go back to what they were doing. Surprisingly, more then 85% of the room cleared, leaving eight squad members.

Ichigo tilted his head sideways a bit, watching the eight look around nervously. They were afraid that they wouldn't be chosen, because all of them wanted to go with Ichigo. "This was easier then I thought." He said aloud, grabbing their attention. "I was going to pick about six of you, but this is fine." He heard sighs of joy.

Ichigo started walking to the door, Rukia close behind. "Let's go." He said. The eight followed in a group behind him. Katsuya hung in the back, behind them.

X

They burned about 15 minutes from finding the squad and walking from the room they were in, to the entrance of the squad. As they were waiting for Shuhei, Ichigo noticed Katsuya, who was trying to stay out of sight. Walking around the small crowd of soul reapers, Ichigo got Katsuya's attention.

"What're you doing?" Ichigo said. This caught the groups attention.

Glancing at them, Katsuya answered. "Standing and waiting, Captain."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. He knew Katsuya wasn't suppose to be here. Katsuya knew himself, but thought he could sneak in.

"I thought you had somewhere to be."

"Yes... Well, I did, but I decided this was more important... Sir."

To the group, it looked like a normal talk with a hint of scolding. To Rukia, Ichigo and Katsuya, what they said had a different meaning.

"I'm flattered you decided to come, but I don't need anymore people." Ichigo's eyes commanded Katsuya to leave to make it easier on him, but Katsuya wanted to continue.

"I think I could help though."

"If there are rogue soul reapers out there, how are you going to defend yourself?" All the soul reapers thought that was a stupid question to ask. Soul reapers had their zanpakuto to protect themselves, so why was he asking that? They realized that Katsuya didn't have a sword with him. Ichigo knew he won the small dispute then. Katsuya can't use kido, so he's out of luck.

"Oh... It seems I've left my sword in the barracks." Katsuya gave a slight frown, but tried to cover it with a smile.

"Thanks for trying, but you can go back to whatever you were doing before we came here." Katsuya gave a pout but listened.

"Sorry to trouble you... Captain." He bowed and started to walk off. Ichigo stood there triumphantly.

Ichigo earned some respect from his small group. Since he demonstrated assertiveness, they knew he wasn't going to let anyone step over him. They also knew he wasn't going to let any of them get hurt, because he did tell Katsuya about not having anything to protect himself with. The eight soul reapers were impressed.

Shuhei showed up about two minutes later. He was accompanied by eight of his squad members. Ichigo noticed this and was somewhat relieved he didn't just have six.

Shuhei said his hello's to Ichigo and Rukia, who returned them. "Let's go men!" Shuhei said while starting to go to their destination. Ichigo followed, catching up with Shuhei so they were running side by side. Rukia was close behind and so were the squad members of both squad 13 and 9.

...

After arriving in the Rukon District, the group found themselves about in the middle of what looked like a market. It had what you'd find in any market. Fruit and vegetable stands, clothing stands, and even toy stands. The place was semi crowded with little children to old people. Some kids pointed and whispered at them as they walked by. For some, it was the first time seeing a soul reaper.

Before they got here, Shuhei and Ichigo basically whispered about a plan to search. They decided that Ichigo should tell them, so he could get more practice in talking to them. It was like he was training to become a captain, but he wasn't.

"Here's the plan," Ichigo started, "Since there's sixteen of you, I want four groups." The soul reapers quickly formed their groups. Some even switched between the two squads. Not expecting them to do that, Ichigo continued. "You have one goal, find the rebel soul reapers. If you find individuals, take them out. If you find their base, send two of the four members of your group to us to report your findings. Don't try to go in alone. We will then form a plan of attack and eliminate them."

"Yes sir!" They all nodded and took off with their groups in four different directions.

"Not bad." Rukia said.

Ichigo gave a friendly scoff. "It was easy."

"Until you're alone and have to form a plan by yourself."

"Ichigo actually came up with the idea of the groups. It was convenient because we both brought eight soul reapers with us." Shuhei said.

"Really?" Rukia blinked.

"I've learned a lot just by watching what you guys do." Ichigo said. "By the way," He directed his attention to Rukia, "I want you to ask around to see if there's been any suspicious activity with soul reapers lately."

Rukia looked at him for a moment, soaking in what she just heard him say. She usually didn't like him telling her what to do, but he gave her an order. She didn't like hearing it from him that much, but she put up with it. "Okay." She said.

"Okay... what?"

Rukia gave Ichigo a death glare. It felt like it pierced his eyes and went through. From her stare it told him that she wasn't going to give him that time of day. To her, he was still Ichigo Kurosaki, the human substitute soul reaper, not the captain of squad 13.

"Fine fine!" Ichigo watched as she turned and started her assignment. Shuhei chuckled.

Ichigo looked at the four directions their men took off in. They were all around the area of small huts and homes. None of them took the woods. Seeing as that would be the place where most hideouts would be, Ichigo decided to go there and search, despite the fact that they weren't going to find anything. "Let's search the woods." Shuhei nodded, and they both flash stepped in that direction.

...

After arriving at Ichigo's office, Katsuya went inside, still mad that he lost his mini battle with Ichigo.

"I don't see what the big problem was." Katsuya told himself. "Ichi's just stubborn. What if something goes wrong out there? I know Chappy is there with him, but what if they split up? He's putting all the soul reapers he brought with him in danger. Then again, I don't think Ren would attack them. He has no reason to... Right?" Katsuya looked through Ichigo's desk, only to find pens and pencils. "On another note, weren't we suppose to go to the Rukon District together anyway? This would be a golden opportunity because no one would ask us our business there. We were suppose to go looking... for..." Katsuya's eyes widened in terror.

Slamming the desk drawer closed, he opened the door to Ichigo's bed and quickly pulled off his soul reaper uniform. He then slid his clothes on with haste and ran back into the office space. Opening the front door and slamming it behind him, Katsuya started running toward the front of squad 13. When he reached this point, he panicked. "Where is it?" He banged his hand on his head, trying to remember where it was. When he remembered, he sprinted toward it.

Katsuya took great care in not being seen by anyone. He was in his normal, non soul reaper clothes, so he had to keep out of sight or he might get in trouble.

As he quickly jumped and ran on buildings, he spotted his destination. Looking around to make sure no one saw him, he jumped behind the building and looked for the opening. Finding it, he slid down the hole and ran down the dirt hallway. It was similar to what it looked like when he first ran through it. He thought it looked better with his imagination, but he needed to keep himself out of his fairy tales for now.

"He wouldn't, would he? I mean... No he wouldn't. There's no reason to." Katsuya tried to sort his thoughts out aloud, but he kept denying them. Seeing as it wasn't going to help him, he kept running through the hall way which was now getting somewhat steeper. He wished his imagination was real in this case, because he was completely blind at the moment.

Sensing something approaching from the front, Katsuya slowed his pace and put his hands in front of him. When they hit something that felt like wood and dirt, Katsuya examined it. He moved his hands upward and felt the wood, excluding the dirt, so he pushed it and it opened. He squinted at the light as it filled the tunnel with the sun's rays. Quickly recovering, Katsuya jumped out of the hole and closed the wooden doors.

"I need to find them." He looked around frantically, trying to figure out which way he wanted to start. The district was pretty big, so it would take him hours to find them. He needed a hint or clue. To Katsuya's surprise, he saw four soul reapers walking around and talking to the people in the district. Katsuya wanted to run over to ask where Ichigo was, but he remembered that he wasn't in his uniform. A bit disappointed, Katsuya ran into the maze of small huts and homes. _Maybe my buddies have seen them. I need to hurry! _

As he ran through the streets of the Rukon District, memories flooded Katsuya's mind. He remembered all the times Ren and him spent playing in the streets. He remembered Shu rarely coming out to see what they were doing. Katsuya wondered if they'd still do that when this was all over.

Pushing the thoughts aside, Katsuya went around and started asking his buddies if they've seen any soul reapers.

"Yeah. I saw this girl reaper pass by a couple minutes ago. She went that way."

"Really! Thank you!" Katsuya took off in the direction, trying to catch up with her. Katsuya dodged plenty of people as he ran, shouting apologizes if he mistakenly hit them.

When he saw a black uniform standing and talking to an elderly lady, Katsuya sprinted toward it.

"R-Rukia!" Katsuya said, trying to catch his breath.

"Katsuya?" Rukia said in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Ichigo told you to go back to the office."

"Where's Ichigo?"

Noticing Katsuya's tone and how he was actually using their names, Rukia knew something wasn't right. "What's wrong?"

* * *

><p>Review!<p> 


	20. Chapter 20

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 20**

Shuhei and Ichigo walked down a clean dirt path while they searched and talked. There were just a bunch of tall trees and leaves everywhere. The path winded around some trees and curved at some points. It made them just want to walk straight instead of following the path.

"How's your squad?" Ichigo asked Shuhei.

"My squad? They're okay. I mean, we're getting along fine without a captain. There's just a lot more work to be done. Especially when my squad sends and receives mail, we have our hands full. Izuru comes and helps, but it's not enough sometimes."

Ichigo watched Shuhei's expression as he talked. He noticed that he looked a bit down. Knowing he made a mistake about asking about it, Ichigo tried to make it better.

"You know, I think that's amazing."

"Huh?"

"I mean, despite your troubles, you still manage."

"Well, yeah I guess." Shuhei gave a small smile.

"You're doing a great job with your squad."

"You're not that bad yourself."

The two continued their search through the woods. Nothing suspicious came up along the path. Ichigo decided to go off the path because he was pretty sure there would be no rogue soul reapers walking the path. If they had a base, they'd probably have it somewhere where no one could find it.

They used their keen eyes to look off into the distance for any movement or buildings, but saw nothing. Ichigo thought this was a waste of time, but Shuhei didn't know the truth, so he had to deal with it.

"Hey, Ichigo." Shuhei said, nudging him.

"Huh?"

"Look." He pointed toward a small hut a couple of meters away from them. "You think that's their base?"

Taking a look at the house, Ichigo assumed it wasn't a rebel's hide out. The path the two abandoned connected to the house's path to the front door. It branched off before entering the premises and went in the opposite direction as Ichigo and Shuhei.

The two ran over to get a better look at the house. The closer they got, the more doubts fell over them.

This house was definitely inhabited. It was well kept after and actually had a yard. A small fence was placed at the start of the yard. It seemed newly placed and looked like someone started to put a nice coat of white paint over the wood.

Inside the fence, clusters of flowers were placed around the yard. Most of them were placed around the base of the house with care. There was a variety of colors taking the attention away from the bland looking house. It looked like a garden was being started on the far right of the yard, where the sun hit it perfectly. The soon to be garden was out of the way so if anyone decided to play or run around, it wasn't likely anyone would destroy it.

"What are you doing?" Shuhei asked Ichigo.

"Going to knock on the door. What else?" Ichigo had started to walk up the path that led to the door. There was a small incline, but it didn't make a big difference.

"Ichigo! What if this is their base?"

"What if it's not?" Shuhei gave Ichigo a look that said 'Really?'. "Come on. I mean, even if there are soul reapers in there, I can protect myself."

Shuhei sighed. "Fine."

The two walked up the path. Shuhei hung back, just in case something were to go wrong. Ichigo stood at the door, examining it. It looked like a normal door. There was a door knob like any other. It made Ichigo somewhat nervous because he didn't know what was going to happen. He could knock on the door and it somehow blow up. There was no telling what would happen. Then again, it didn't look like a place where any rogue soul reaper would stay. If they were on the run or hiding, wouldn't they want somewhere where no one would look. The house was to flashy and bright.

"Alright." Shuhei put his hand on his hilt as Ichigo put up his hand to knock on the door. When he did, someone opened it before he could make contact with the door.

"Oh... Hello." The man said innocently.

"Hi." Ichigo greeted. Seeing as the guy wasn't a threat, Shuhei walked up beside Ichigo, who gave him an 'I told you so' look.

The man looked like he was ready to do yard work. He wore a straw hat, which was going to keep the blaring sun from burning his face. A white T-shirt, which looked over worked, was covering his upper body while a pair of worn out jeans covered the bottom half. There were holes in the jeans. One on the right pant leg where his knee was, and a small one on his left leg that was in his mid thigh area. A tool belt hung from his waist, caring almost everything he need to work in his garden. What could be seen on his belt was two small shovels with different heads and a small rake looking tool. He was holding a white towel in his hands.

He looked Shuhei and Ichigo over. His gaze stayed on Ichigo longer then he felt comfortable with. "How can I help you two?" He said nicely.

"Well..." Ichigo didn't think ahead that far. He didn't know what he was hoping to come to the door, if anyone. "We-"

"Ichigo!" A voice interrupted. It sounded like it was coming from behind, so Ichigo turned to see, but didn't turn to far before he was knocked backwards. Shuhei dodged him as he fell, not meaning to.

"Huh?" Ichigo gasped as he hit the ground. "Who- Katsuya?"

"Hiya!" Katsuya was sitting on Ichigo's stomach, waving at him.

"Get of me!" Ichigo shouted at him. Katsuya smiled and did as he was told. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was doing some thinking in the place where I stay and thought about you, so I came looking. I knew you were here, but I had to ask around to find your exact location. And here I am." Ichigo sighed.

"Who is he?" Shuhei asked.

"Oh... Just a friend that shouldn't be here right now." He smiled it off.

Katsuya looked at the guy in the door way. He wasn't paying him any attention, but he was watching Ichigo and Shuhei. He had his hand on his tool belt and tapped his finger on it slowly but impatiently. Katsuya didn't like it.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked.

"Holding his hand. Isn't it obvious?" Katsuya had grabbed the man's hand while Shuhei and Ichigo were finishing up their short conversation.

"Do you know him?"

"Yeah I do! He's my bu...friend-" Katsuya scanned the yard in one quick glance. "Buddy!" He looked up at his friend for confirmation. Ichigo and Shuhei did to.

He nodded. "We've been friends for quite a while." He threw the towel over his shoulder.

"Oh. Okay then."

Katsuya squeezed Buddy's hand, who did the same back. Not really expecting this, Katsuya squeezed his hand again, but added his finger nails with the squeeze. Buddy bit his lip, trying not to show his frustration.

"Well!" Katsuya said happily, "I'm gonna go in there!" He pointed into Buddy's house. "See ya Ichigo!"

"Hey, make sure to make it back to the place you're staying at before dark."

"Got it! See ya." Katsuya slapped Buddy's back and went inside. Buddy flinched, but tried not to make a big deal about it.

"What a kid." Shuhei said. "He has potential." He gave a small laugh.

"So... What can I help you with?" Buddy repeated for the second and last time.

"We were looking for a sign of rogue soul reapers when we stumbled upon your home. Shuhei thought this might be a base, so I came to see if it was. Seeming as Katsuya walked in and hasn't ran out tells me this isn't a base." Ichigo told him.

"Oh. Rogue soul reapers, eh? None live here, that I know of anyway. I do, however, see some soul reapers walking down this path a lot. When I'm walking around, I see them going into the woods, straying off the path. I followed them once to see a base hidden not to far from where they left the path."

"Can you tell us the way?"

"Sure. I don't see why not. When you exit my yard, keep going that way," He pointed the way opposite the way Shuhei and Ichigo came. "And after a while of walking you'll see a split in the path. There's a tree that's been split to where it looks like a Y making the paths go different ways. Climb the tree and look to your right and scan the area over there. There should be a glare shining in your face when you stare in the right direction. The color of the base is a light tanish color, so it's not that hard to spot during the day."

Ichigo and Shuhei processed the information. It was simple enough. Keep going the opposite way they came and when they see a tree in the middle of the path look right after climbing said tree and find the base. Easy.

"Thanks." Ichigo said. He was happy that he'd be able to stop looking aimlessly for a base that wasn't real. _...Wait. There shouldn't be a base. Why is there one?_ This thought sprung into his head randomly after pondering on it. He didn't like where this was going. This mission was all on a hunch. Something to explain Toshiro's attack. This wasn't suppose to be real.

"No, thank you. They've been quite noisy some days and I've been tired of listening to them." He smiled.

"We'll be going now." Shuhei said firmly.

"Nice meeting you." Ichigo said.

Buddy stuck his hand out for a hand shake from Ichigo and Shuhei, who shook it. They then started to walk away from the yard and turn the way Buddy told them to. He waved to them before they disappeared behind some trees. After they were out of sight, he took his hat off and went inside his house, laying it on the table in the room. Closing the door, he put his hand on the wall beside the door. He slid his hand to the right to find a button, which he pressed. Latches unlocked and the table was gone, revealing stairs. He walked over to them and went down them with haste in his step. When he reached the bottom, the stairs retracted. The lights were on.

On the big screen at his desk, there was a message. The message was capitalized, italicized, bold, and underlined in some places. He glared at the message.

HI HI! _I BET YOU_ _JUST MISSED ME_.

**A**NYWA**Y**S! I CO**U**LDN'T LET THI**S** OPPORTUNI**T**_Y_ GO **A**WAY, SO I TOO**K** IT.

I'M SURE YOU WON'T MIND. YOU DID TELL ME I COULD STAY HERE A WHILE BACK.

I'M JUST DOING SOME LOOKING AROUND. GONNA GO FIND SOMETHING TA DO NOW.

DON'T MIND ME! I WON'T TOUCH YOUR STUFF EITHER!

Your loving little friend,

~Kat.

P.S. _Do_ you **understand**?

He scoffed at the monitor and reread the message. After he did he looked around, glaring at everything. He heard a childish laugh. It echoed outward from different locations, so he couldn't tell where it was really coming from.

"Ha ha!"

"Hm."

"What to do. Where am I going? It looks like you've remodeled a bit. So this is what you were doing this whole time we were struggling with your conflict."

He noticed that Katsuya was no where to be found in the room he was in. His voice was pretty loud though. He remembered though, that he installed head sets in each room as well as some spots in the hallways for easy communication with everyone. Katsuya was speaking into one of them.

"What are you doing?"

"Well, didn't you read the monitor screen? Don't you understand?" Katsuya laughed. There could be foot steps heard through the intercom.

_He's walking somewhere... _"That's not funny."

"I found it to be. Anyways, where's this go to? Hm hm hm. It seems you moved stuff around and added new parts to the lab. I open a couple of doors and I see another hall. I can't wait to explore in here. I might have to do it later though, because I need to get back to Ichi. Can't be late."

He stepped closer to his computers and typed a couple commands in. The screen changed, but it only had the words 'No Signal' on all of them.

"That won't work Shu-Box. I disabled the camera's in here. I'm smarter than you think." There was a pause. "Found it!" There was a sound of a door opening and him stepping in the room. "Now, where'd I put it?" Katsuya sounded like he was digging through some objects. "Do you know where it is?"

Shu pondered on what Katsuya was looking for. What could he possibly be searching for?

"Found it! You thought you could hide from me! Nope, I'm a smart cookie."

"What are you doing?" He shook his head, not surprised that Katsuya hadn't changed that much.

"Nothin'" He heard Katsuya smile.

Remembering something he had installed earlier on, he typed another command into the computer. When he saw that he had access, he pushed the 'Enter' button.

What sounded like hundreds of doors locking came from the halls. There were some slams, but not many. One slam included the room Katsuya was in.

"Hey!" Katsuya said annoyed. "What was that for! Another couple seconds and I would of been smashed in the door. You tryna kill me?"

"Are you trying to act arrogant?"

"No, I'm acting like myself. Got a problem?"

Shu growled. He was getting irritated by Katsuya's child like personality. He use to be able to handle it, but now it was annoying. There was to much to be done and so little time to do it. If he could keep Katsuya in the lab, then he'd have one less thing to worry about. With Katsuya out of the way, he'd be able to finish his plans and all of this would be over. Why couldn't everyone just let him do what he needed to do?

He thought for a while. Since the camera's were off, how was he going to find Katsuya? He heard several doors close in both hallways, so he couldn't go on that. He'd have to search the entire place to find him.

Opening a drawer on his desk, he sifted through some pencils and pens to find a laser pointer. This laser pointer was small and was cylinder shaped. There was a small round button to most likely activate the light the small device gave off. Like a regular laser pointer. In theory.

Shu heard Katsuya sigh. "Ah... Man, I haven't sat on this in a while." After he said this, Shu heard something that sounded like springs creaking under pressure. Knowing this sound, he knew where to look.

He started down the left hallway. Katsuya was in one of the bedrooms. Most likely his own. Shu took big strides toward the hallway when he stopped and jumped back. He looked around, not liking the feeling that rushed over him.

"Where are you Kat?" He shouted.

There was a more serious, more calmer laugh.

"What's the matter? Aren't you going to come find me? You're going the right way." Katsuya asked.

"What kind of game are you playing?"

"Game? No game. I wouldn't call it strategy either. More like... Thinking ahead?"

He heard Katsuya smile again but it was much more closer sounding then last time. Shu tilted his head sideways, smiling. "Question." He said.

"What?"

"How'd you get here?"

"Isn't it obvious? Think back. Around the time I started coming here more often then necessary. When you decided that I could stay here to escape the living for a while, you let me help create rooms for the lab, since you were trying to remodel a bit. You told me I could make secret places where I could only find and detect. At the time, I had no idea what you were talking about, but later on I took advantage of it. Even though I didn't make them while you were renovating, I had taken the time to look for places that would create a good hide away if things weren't in my favor one day. Maybe a while back, I started to secretly build on them, one after the other until things clicked into place. I don't know if you were foreshadowing this day or not back then, but I'm lucky I was smart enough to map out my routes."

"Hm..."

"I know what you're thinking. 'I'll just have to find one of these secret paths and record my findings.' Like I said before, I can only find them. Even if you destroyed the walls, you'd find nothing. They are undetectable. I could even show you one, and you wouldn't be able to open it. Now if you don't mind, I have a question for you."

"Go for it."

"Why didn't you do anything to Ichigo?" Katsuya thought while waiting for him to answer. He knew Shu wouldn't hurt him because he needed him for something, but it just didn't seem right. He thought Shu would of at least did something. Katsuya hoped that he didn't do anything.

Shu smirked. "I did."

* * *

><p>This seems short to me. Is it? Review!<p>

Oh! Did anyone get Katsuya's message?


	21. Chapter 21

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 21**

Katsuya waited in silence for him to talk more, but he didn't. This made him irritated because he gave Shu more than he asked for.

"What are you doing this for? This... This whole entire plan of yours? What are you trying to accomplish?"

"I believe you only asked for 'a' question. I'm not obligated to answer those." He heard Katsuya give an annoyed sigh.

"Then I'm not obligated to stay any longer-" Before Katsuya could finish putting the period on his sentence, Shu reached out and grabbed Katsuya.

"You got faster."

"Seems like it, doesn't it?"

Katsuya dodged Shu's hand after he tried to grab him. Shu only grazed his shirt, missing Katsuya's body completely.

At this time, Katsuya was facing the only exit to the lab. Shu was behind him. He turned around to watch Katsuya closely. He knew he'd try to make a run for it, so he had to be faster this time.

Katsuya tilted his head back to where he could see Shu. He then smiled and put his hand up to wave. "Later." He said. With this, Katsuya tapped his foot on the floor and he started to be lowered into the ground. Shu tried to grab him before he fully went under but wasn't fast enough.

"Damn it."

"I think I have a pretty good idea on what you're trying to do and what you did, but I don't know what your trying to target. I'll hang onto my theories a bit longer and try to piece things together. See ya, Tie Your Shu's."

Shu figured Katsuya was trying to escape, so he ran over to the wall where the stair case was and pushed a button. The stairs automatically came down and he ran up them.

X

Katsuya walked out of the secret door into his room. His room wasn't that small. He didn't have that many objects in here either. Only the basic things: a bed, dresser, desk, TV; things found in a normal room. Katsuya's room was pretty clean. Nothing was scattered around, no clothes on the floor, everything was well organized. The only thing that stuck out in the room was that the dresser drawer was open.

He walked over to his dresser and moved the clothes in such a way to make them look untouched. "I have to assume Shu is going to come in here and search my room. I can't leave any trace of me touching anything. If he finds anything to lead him to believe I was in here, he'll figure out what I have, and if he does I won't have the upper hand." Katsuya pushed the drawer back into place and started to leave when he remembered something. He opened his closet and searched for new clothes on the rack. If he was here, there's no point in not changing.

He picked out a black shirt with a dark red stripped design and jeans. He changed his shoes for red and white ones, not trying to really match. Katsuya grabbed a red jacket from the back of the closet, hung his dirty clothes in the back of the closet, and shut the door. Walking over to his bed, he got on his knees and searched for something under it. When he found what he wanted he pulled it out. It was a box that contained a soul reaper uniform that was his size. The box also contained a small charm, which Katsuya pocketed. After pushing the box back under the bed, he went back to the secret door he came out of.

"I have to assume that Shu is looking for me outside, so I'm going to have to exit far from here. This will be interesting." He sighed and tapped his foot, commanding the door to close.

...

"This is taking forever!" Rangiku complained. "Should we just leave? I mean, we know we aren't going to find anything, so why bother?"

Renji and Rangiku brought about half of their squads to search the Seireitei. The two wanted to bring a lot less, but they were given orders to search the whole area, so they couldn't argue. If they brought a lot less, then they would most likely get called out for it.

"I wish we could, but orders are orders." Renji said with a sigh.

"We should go get a drink! No one would know!"

"No. We need to finish up here. How about we spend a couple more minutes on searching and then call everyone back?"

"Fine." Rangiku looked around and stared at a storage building. "Let's look in there."

The two walked toward and in the building. It was semi dark, even with the sun shinning brightly outside. The windows to the building were covered with boards, which explained the darkness.

Rangiku and Renji glanced around to find nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing stairs, they headed up them ever so boredly.

"Is there a point in trying?" Rangiku asked.

"Not really."

They poked their heads in each room to find nothing but dust and boxes. There really wasn't a point in them doing more then they had to. Knowing they'd find nothing made them even less motivated to look.

"You think Ichigo's enjoying his search?" Renji asked Rangiku.

"Probably not. Shuhei's probably dragging him around."

...

"Captain!" A soul reaper called to Ichigo. He was running toward them, waving.

"Hm?" Ichigo responded.

When he caught his breath, he started. "Sir! We found the rogue soul reapers! Lieutenant Kuchiki gave me orders to find you and lead you back to their base."

"Rukia? Shouldn't she have been in that market place or somewhere near there? Did she find you guys?" Ichigo and Shuhei continued down the path, going toward the place where the soul reaper came from.

"Yes sir. She came out of the bushes and told us to go find you."

"Hmph..." Shuhei, Ichigo and the soul reaper started running now. There was little conversation after Ichigo last spoke. They needed to focus on getting to Rukia anyway.

It really bothered Ichigo that there was a base. Buddy wasn't lying. He wished he was. It didn't make any sense though. It was a simple theory. Why was there a base? Yachiru said Kenpachi had wiped out the last of them recently. It is possible that one could form again, but if this was a guess, then how could it be so accurate? Rukia was probably thinking the same.

When the three arrived, they saw Rukia put a finger over her lips. She knew Ichigo was going to shout her name, so she went ahead and stopped him before he could even start. She motioned the three over and pointed in the direction of the base. It stood out a lot. The area around it was open and spacious. There were no trees or bushes near it. The hut itself was a bright tan color, which didn't help to hide it. The base reflected the sunlight in many directions, which could easily give away their position.

"I wonder if they were really trying to hide." Shuhei whispered as he watched a soul reaper walk into the base.

"Probably not." Rukia answered back.

"So," Ichigo said, "fill me in on what's happening."

"Well, I sent the squad members to do various things. This one," She pointed to the soul reaper next to Shuhei, "was suppose to bring you back here. The other three went out in search of the other groups. So far, we found one other group."

"I see." Ichigo returned his gaze to the hut. He wanted to get this over with. If he had to take down former comrades, he didn't want it to be suspenseful. He really didn't want to do it at all, but it probably is a test of loyalty in some way.

Shuhei and the soul reaper who led him and Ichigo to Rukia walked over to the group that returned and started to talk to them. Seeing as they were out of earshot, Rukia moved to the other side of Ichigo, away from them.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"I don't know. I guess it could be a coincidence, but I'm not buying it." Ichigo said.

"Your right. But what could explain it? I thought Lieutenant Zaraki took out the last one. I'm pretty sure he didn't leave any alive, so there weren't any survivors. Maybe there were more hidden? They could have formed a new base. Then again, they did it in such a short time."

"Since their isn't an explanation out there that we know of, I guess it's just by luck. I don't like the fact that we did find one after it was supposedly destroyed, but that's all we can go on. Plus, we have other things to worry about." Ichigo did have a point. If this was some sort of trick, they'd have to ignore it. They had too many things to think about. Besides, it couldn't be linked to their problems anyway. Right?

When the remaining groups came back, Shuhei told them the plan he made up before they arrived. "Since there are four groups of four, I want three groups to spread out around the hut. Do this quickly and quietly and stay hidden in the bushes and trees. I know you aren't the Stealth Force, but do your best. The last group will go in with me and Rukia. Captain Kurosaki will stay here. If the traitors start coming out and attacking, you all come out, but don't be reckless. Whatever you do, don't wreck the base."

All of them whispered the word 'Sir' and three of the four groups spread out around the area. The last group stayed with Rukia and Shuhei. Ichigo just stood back and watched.

When everyone was in position, Shuhei and his group quickly ran up to the door, or tried to. Right when they stepped out in the open, the rebel soul reapers swarmed out of the hut and took their positions around it. There were a lot of them surprisingly. They all had their hands up, ready to attack.

The three groups jumped out of their hiding places, seeing as this was their order. Ichigo flashed behind Rukia. A soul reaper who was facing Shuhei and Rukia yelled something to his group and their hands started to glow.

"Kido!" Shuhei warned everyone. Different kido attacks started flying in all directions. Everyone dodged, but that didn't do much. Everyone started countering using kido, but most of the rebels blocked or took the attack.

Ichigo ran around deflecting or jumping around, straying away from Rukia and Shuhei. He couldn't use kido, so he couldn't attack. If he fired a Getsuga Tensho, he'd risk the base. All he could do was dodge and hope he wouldn't be over powered.

The traitors were using normal attacks, but they were powerful. They were pushing even Shuhei back somewhat. The force that hit Ichigo's blade also was pretty strong. This probably gave Shuhei a reason to believe that they ambushed Toshiro. If they were pushing everyone back, then they had a right to be acknowledged as attackers. This was going to be tough.

Shuhei made contact with a soul reaper that was just about to fire a kido with his kido. His face stayed emotionless to this hit and kept going. A pattern of bobbing and weaving through a wave of spells and then firing some of his own occasionally. Rukia was working up a sweat too. She was firing her usual kido, Sokatsui. She was rarely throwing in a Soren Sokatsui, but that was only when she had more then two attacks fired at her.

As more traitors went down, more showed up. It was like when one went down, another came to take his or her place. It seemed impossible for that many soul reapers to fit in a small hut, but they could be coming from underground.

Ichigo was still doing his best to dodge. He was hoping that they wouldn't notice him not firing anything, but it was only a matter of time.

Ichigo landed on the ground, looking around cautiously, when he noticed someone from the corner of his left eye. He turned his head quickly to see who it was, but instead got grazed by an attack on his right shoulder. This sent him stumbling backwards to the right. Rukia noticed and yelled his name. He quickly got back on focus when he noticed the same person, but this time in the bushes. He resisted looking, but he did a quick, fatal glance that way. The word fatal hit its mark, because he got hit by another attack, which was more powerful then the last.

Rukia kept dodging as she watched Ichigo. What was he doing? She kept seeing him look to his left. Nothing was there though. The kido was only rustling the bushes as they flew by. Could that be why he was distracted? "Look alive Ichigo!" She said and regretted. Once the words came out, Ichigo lost focus and looked her way. As he did this, Hado 58, Tenran, crashed into him, sending him flying into a nearby tree. This was then followed by Bakudo 4, Hainawa.

This got Shuhei's attention. He did quick glances over to see what happened, but noticed there wasn't a need for him to dodge much anymore. All arms were faced toward Ichigo, who was tied to a tree. "Ichigo!" He shouted. Ichigo wasn't looking at him.

By this time, Ichigo was out of it. He knew someone was there. He kept seeing, what now looked like, a child. Ichigo didn't know why he had the urge to keep looking for him. It was getting him beat. Maybe it was an illusion of some sort. Either way, it didn't matter now. He was already caught.

Ichigo was starting to get light headed. _Of all the times... _His world felt like it was swaying. With this, he tried to keep his movement to a minimum. He kept hearing Rukia and Shuhei shouting at him, and kido being fired, but it sounded distant for some reason. He began to at least move his eyes in the direction of their yells, but he trailed to the left again to see movement. He dropped his sword as his right hand started to go numb.

At that moment, when Zangetsu hit the ground, a flash of red and blue came flying toward Ichigo. "Well this might be troublesome..." He muttered weakly as he vanished into the attacks that hit him.

Rukia, Shuhei, and every other comrade among the battle field froze. The trees around the area the attacks were fired, including Ichigo's, kicked up dust as they came in contact with the ground and each other. There was no movement from within the dust cloud. All that could be seen was Zangetsu laying in front of the wreckage.

"I...Ichi...-" This was all she managed to get out before a Shakkaho flew by her head. The traitors weren't letting up. They resumed their attacks. Rukia didn't have time to worry about Ichigo right now, as well as the rest of the remaining soul reapers.

As they dodged, the dust settled. Rukia and Shuhei, as well as the rogue soul reapers glanced over at the wreck. Ichigo was nowhere to be found in the direction. The rebels smiled in victory and continued their push. Rukia's heart sank. Why did he seem so out of it back there? He usually always kept his eyes at his opponent as they attacked and listened to others at the same time. Was there really something to his left that wasn't the spells rustling the bushes? Whatever it was, it was probably gone now.

"Keep your eyes on the the prize," Shuhei told her. "We have to finish this so we can see if we can find him. If you lose focus now, we're sure to be pushed back.

"Sorry," She said. "I think it's time we move in for some real close combat." Shuhei agreed. Rukia moved to a less targeted area and called upon her zanpakuto. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" A beautiful white ice and snow type zanpakuto was in Rukia's grasps. The ribbon on Sode No Shirayuki flowed gently behind her as she stood.

Not wanting to, Shuhei reluctantly took out his sword. Everyone halted. Even the rogues knew that Shuhei never fought with his shikai often. They were somewhat glad and horrified at the same time. This meant that they were pushing them to their limit, but it also meant that they were about to be wiped out. "Reap, Kazeshini." With this, Shuhei's blade turned into two black scythe like swords. He stared at it hatefully. He seriously didn't like the shape. "Ready?" He said in a despising way. The question was directed toward the rogues more than Rukia and the others. Everyone took their swords out, knowing it was about to be a sword battle.

Everyone charged at the still kido using soul reapers. Their kido packed a punch, but how would they do in a sword fight? Since they continued using their long ranged attacks, everyone assumed they only trained that. The group should of used this strategy earlier.

As they started deflecting and making the rogue soul reapers draw their swords, some dust kicked up in the direction of the demolished trees. No one payed it any attention until a flash of light fluctuated in the cloud. "You think... You can get rid of me... That easily?" It was Ichigo's voice. It sounded irritated and ready to tear some people up. With this, some sort of shock wave kicked up the wind around the area, making some soul reapers slide back.

The light in the direction got brighter, blindingly brighter. Everyone turned their attention to that spot, squinting and covering their faces. A few stepped back.

Ichigo was hanging in there, somehow. He didn't know what was happening. Everything wasn't in sync with what he wanted to do. He felt something suddenly appear around his neck. Ichigo wanted to look down but couldn't. He did, however, see Zangetsu disappear.

Something came shooting out of the light and dust as they all watched. It seemed that there were more appearing. The unknown objects also seemed to be hovering above the rogue's base. They couldn't see what they were from the height they took, but whatever it was, it probably wasn't good. Some of the soul reapers started to back away slowly.

"Die." They heard Ichigo bluntly say as the objects came shooting down like bullets. Completely lost, Ichigo felt a hand on his chest. He looked down to see someone grab, what seemed to now be a necklace. He then felt a familiar pain in his head as he felt himself fall backwards. This searing pain and light headedness didn't mix very well. He felt the necklace being ripped off his neck.

It seemed like whatever just happened stopped, not before hearing a couple of blood curdling screams. The area around the base was covered in dust. When it cleared, no one was left standing, aside from the few on the 13 Court Guard Squad's side who weren't that fortunate of not getting caught in the attack range. The space around the base was colored in crimson red. It was a horrifying sight.

Rukia stared in the direction Ichigo was supposedly in. She saw him laying on the ground. She looked around to see if anyone was watching, but they weren't. When she turned back toward Ichigo, Zangetsu reappeared. This surprised her.

"O-Okay men," Shuhei said, still shocked. "What are you waiting for? Storm the base." With Shuhei's orders, everyone went in. Shuhei and Rukia ran toward Ichigo.

* * *

><p>I got a burst of inspiration when I was typing the part about Ichigo and Shuhei finding Rukia. It just came to me. So I thought 'Why not try to throw it in the story and make it more interesting for me to type?' This is relevant to the plot, so don't worry. It's not some filler I just wanted to put in here. Ichigo is a captain now, so he has to at least have one mission before the week ends, right? Remember everything has a purpose. Keep that in mind. ^^<p> 


	22. Chapter 22

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 22**

Rukia and Shuhei examined Ichigo's motionless body. Rukia went in closer, to see if he was breathing. His chest was rising and falling at a steady rate, meaning he was alive. Relieved, she tried his name. "Ichigo?" Nothing.

Shuhei got on one knee beside Rukia and snapped in his face. "Aye, Ichigo!" His finger twitched, which didn't go unnoticed. They looked at his face. He was looking straight up and had an annoyed look on his face.

"Ichigo..." Rukia said.

He looked at her. "Huh?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm- Ow!" Ichigo put his hand on his head as he sat up. His light-headed feeling was fading somewhat, but a headache was threatening him. "What happened?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Shuhei asked, surprised.

Ichigo thought back. The last thing he remembered was falling backwards. He thought of all the events that led up to it. Everything clicked into place. Nothing was missing. Some things were fading in and out though, but they still were there. Something he remembered troubled him though. Zangetsu disappeared. He looked to his right to see Zangetsu laying beside him. He put his hand on its handle. Rukia watched him as he did.

Ichigo debated on whether or not to tell them if he did or didn't remember. If he did decide to tell them, then he'd have to explain what happened. He figured it was best to keep it to himself because some things didn't add up. He could tell Rukia about it later. He did, however, want to try to water down the truth as much as possible.

"Some things are haz-" He was cut off by a crashing sound in the direction of the enemy base. He heard some laughs and someone apologizing. It caught him off guard, but his eyes widened when he actually looked at the hut. "What the...?" Rukia and Shuhei looked at the scene. He didn't remember this.

It looked like someone came and slaughtered everyone on the rebel's side. The ground was drenched in their blood._ Who did this?_ He thought. He looked at the two for answers.

"This happened after you got attacked the last time." Rukia said. She didn't expect him to remember this if he was awake. There was a lot of dust in the air, so if he didn't, he couldn't have known. Then again, he fired the attack, but he didn't have that kind of power.

Shuhei stood up again. "I'm going to check on them. I'll be back." Shuhei jogged off to see what the soul reapers were doing.

Rukia looked at Ichigo as he tried to get to his feet. He used Rukia as support. "Do you really not remember this?" She pointed to the base.

"I don't. Everything is pretty much clear except for that. Did I really... do that?"

She paused. "To tell you the truth, I don't know. From what I know, you can only use Getsuga Tensho. There were multiple objects shooting out of the dust cloud when this happened." Ichigo didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. "Did anything strange happen while you were in the dust cloud that you remember?"

"Hm..." Ichigo started.

"Captain!" Several soul reapers yelled. They were speed walking toward them.

"Are you okay?" One asked.

"Yeah." He replied.

"What was that flash of light earlier?" One dared to ask. This made the group loud, asking all about it. He looked at Rukia with the corner of his eye. She shrugged. _Thanks._ He said to himself.

Before he could make anything up, they heard a cough come from behind Ichigo. Everyone turned. A fallen down tree shook slightly and someone popped out from under it. Ichigo and Shuhei's jaw almost dropped.

"Uhm..." He cleared his throat as he climbed over to the group. "I have an explanation for the event that currently happened." He said.

"B-Buddy?" Shuhei and Ichigo said simultaneously.

"Why are you here?" Ichigo asked.

"I was playing hide-and-seek with Kat when I heard fighting. I was watching from the bushes." He smiled at him.

"You got caught in the crossfire?" Shuhei asked.

"Sort of. One minute I'm just fine and the next minute I make good friends with a tipping tree."

"Can you explain," Rukia asked him so he'd get back on topic.

"Sure. I think this will make more since when I say I have the ability to create illusions." Everyone looked at him funny besides the three captain class soul reapers. Aside from the disbelief from everyone, Shuhei was interested. "It's not that hard to believe is it? I mean, soul reapers have different abilities like kido and what not, right? Anyway, I got here around the time Ichigo had gotten separated from those two." He pointed to Shuhei and Rukia. "I decided to see if I could help in any way if possible, and it so happened that I could. When Ichigo landed on the ground the last time, before he got hit the first time, I created an illusion."

"So that's why he was looking to the left." Rukia said.

"Correct. Sorry for the pain, but you had to get hit twice so you could get the attention of all the other soul reapers. That's when I got a little carried away. You see, my illusions are real if you don't know that what you're looking at is an illusion. If you figure out that it is one, then you can't be fooled by it. I somewhat saved Ichigo before he got hit the third time. That's probably why you aren't hurt as badly as you should be. After you fell, I waited for a couple of minutes and made the scene you saw with Ichigo. I guess it was somewhat out of character, but it worked."

Everyone was silent for a moment after he stopped. He tilted his head sideways. "Fine then." Buddy started to walk in the direction of the now useless base. As he was walking, he almost stepped on one of the dead soul reapers. To cover this action, he quickly hopped over it and continued his walk until he was about two to three yards away from the base. "You have no further use for this, right?"

"There wasn't anything to get, so no." Shuhei said.

"Okay." Buddy took in some air. He then snapped his right and left fingers at the same time once. He then quickly snapped his left hand afterward. It made an echo like sound, which could be easily missed. With this, the base caught on fire. "If this isn't reason to believe..." He walked over to the now on fire base and went inside. "Since I created it, I can't get hurt by it. I'm pretty sure you can feel the heat from it." He walked back, repeating the snapping process, but this time snapping his right hand instead of his left. The fire went away and the base was unharmed.

"You should consider joining the Thirteen Court Guard Squads." One soul reaper said. They were now amazed. Some soul reapers agreed with the first one.

"You'd probably be good in the Stealth Force." Another said.

"I've considered it, but if I did join, I'd have no time to tend to my garden." He smiled and started to walk off in the direction of his house. _I've already been in the Stealth Force once..._ He thought to himself. _Not gonna do it again._ "See you around, Ichigo and others."

After Buddy was out of sight, everyone regrouped. "So, you really didn't find anything?" Ichigo asked.

"No. Just an empty hut. There was a small underground chamber, but there wasn't any signs that they were going to attack anywhere." Shuhei replied.

"All this for nothing." Ichigo paused. "So, who's gonna destroy that?"

...

Shuhei, Ichigo, Renji, and Rangiku reported their findings to Chojiro. Rangiku and Renji had nothing to report. They basically searched everywhere, but there wasn't a problem in sight. Most of their time was spent looking around the area Ren and Toshiro had their battle, but obviously they didn't find anything.

Ichigo and Shuhei told them the gist of what they experienced in the Rukon District's forest. They started from the time they got the message from a squad member from Rukia to the time they destroyed the base. They agreed to leave out Buddy's ability, or anything about him for that matter. Even though he did help, who knows what Squad 1 would come up with about him. It was best to leave him be.

"You found nothing?" Chojiro asked.

"No Sir." Everyone said together except for Ichigo, who just said 'Nope'.

"I suppose they are getting stronger and smarter about their plans. You said you 'wiped them out' correct? Are you positive?"

"Yes, we searched everywhere. We even looked around the area where they set up the base, but we found nothing." Shuhei told him.

Chojiro looked puzzled. He didn't know what to say about it. He was happy that they fixed the problem, but there was bound to be more trouble, hopefully not in the near future.

After more talking, the captain of Squad 1 let them go. Shuhei went back to his squad but Renji, Ichigo and Rangiku stayed with each other as they left.

"Ugh, my head is still hurting." Ichigo complained.

"Did you bump it?" Rangiku asked.

"Not that I remember. I think something hit me."

"Kido?"

"That's a possibility."

They were quiet for a while, but Renji broke the silence with a statement that got to the point. "I feel like you aren't telling us the whole story, Ichigo."

"That's because I'm not." Ichigo sighed. He flexed his hands. He seemed to be stretching.

"What are you leaving out?" Rangiku asked.

"Well, this guy named Buddy actually destroyed the rogue soul reapers using me. He has some sort of illusion type power. Buddy actually saved me."

"That doesn't seem right." Renji thought for a moment. "Why would he help you if he barely knows you?"

"Just to help I guess. I do that a lot. I did it for Rukia when you brought her back here to be killed."

"Oh?" Renji twitched.

"I smell a fight brewing..." Rangiku said under her breath.

"Yeah. I really don't understand why you brought her back in the first place if you didn't want her to be killed."

"Those were orders, Ichigo. It's not like I was going to disobey a direct order."

"So you're saying you'd let a childhood friend die for the sake of not getting in trouble?"

"W-well, it's complicated!"

"Heh, really?"

"What are you guys doing?" Rukia yelled at the two. She pushed them from the back. They looked at her.

"What was that for?" Renji and Ichigo yelled at the same time.

"Stop your bickering."

"Yeah!" Rangiku scolded them.

"You didn't even stop us!" Ichigo shouted.

"You guys can start a fight pretty fast." Katsuya said, leaning on Ichigo's back.

"When'd you get here?" Renji asked.

"When Chappy got here." Katsuya smiled. "Anyway, let's high-tail it back to your office Ichi! I want to talk about what happened today."

"I'll go check on my captain. I'll meet you guys there if he doesn't have me sit and do paper work."

"Doing paper work is part of your job, Rangiku."

"Captain! I didn't know you were there! You scared me!" Rangiku turned to see Toshiro sitting on a wall behind them. He was still wearing his cast. "Shouldn't you be in bed still?"

"Unohana told me I could get up and move around, but I had to come back to the sickbay." He stated. "Is the situation getting any worse?" He looked at Ichigo, but Katsuya answered.

"That's what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to go to Ichi's office because I don't want anyone to listen in on what we were saying, like you easily did."

"That makes sense. I'll be going now." Toshiro jumped off the wall and started walking ahead of them.

"Wait! Where are you going!" Rangiku yelled.

"To go get my work from my office. I'm not just going to sit in the sickbay and have nothing to do. I'm not letting my work pile up, unlike you, Rangiku. Fill me in on anything important I miss." With this, he flashed away. Toshiro didn't want them to be following him until he got to his squad. They were headed in the same direction as he was.

"Okay! That was harsh." Rangiku pouted.

"Looks like Toshi is doing quite dandy." Katsuya laughed. The group sighed. "Off to do some talkin'!"

...

When they arrived, everyone took their spots. Renji stood by the door while Rangiku and Katsuya sat on the couch beside Renji. Instead of Ichigo taking his desk seat, Rukia sat there. Ichigo took the couch opposite of Katsuya and Rangiku, setting Zangetsu beside it.

"Well, I want to start off by saying don't get mad at me when I tell you what I'm about to say. Okay?" Katsuya said. Everyone nodded. "Hmm. You guys promise you won't get mad. Well I mean it would probably make Ichi a bit more mad than the rest of you. But you aren't going to get mad, right?"

"What is it?" Ichigo asked, now interested.

"Well, you know Buddy?" They nodded. "Now you have to promise okay?"

"Just say it Katsuya!" Renji told him.

"Fine fine... You-"

"Katsuya!" Ichigo was getting impatient.

"How'd you know I was gonna say it again? You know me so well."

"That's just your personality."

"Anyway. Buddy, who you met on your mission today, was actually Shu. You didn't notice because you forgot everything about him when you met, remember?"

Ichigo stared blankly at Katsuya as the room was silent. This didn't make Rukia, Renji, or Rangiku mad at all. They didn't even know who Buddy was, so it couldn't bother them. All Renji and Rangiku know is that Ichigo confronted and was saved by him. Rukia talked to him, but it was only for a few minutes. Ichigo, on the other hand, was fighting a face of almost rage and irritation. Katsuya kept talking, knowing that if he waited any longer, Ichigo would burst.

"I know your mad. You unofficially promised though, remember!"

Ichigo took a deep breath. He put on his usual scowl. "Why didn't you tell me that when you showed up?" He calmly said.

"Well..." He wasn't expecting that reaction. "because Shuhei-hei was there. Shu could easily clap his hand or whistle or whatever he really does to get Ren's attention and have him take over. You'd put Shuhei-hei in danger and make him a part of this conflict. You see? If you knew, then Shu would have done something, well I'm pretty sure he did something, and you'd be helpless to do anything."

"That makes sense." Rukia said.

"Smart thinking, kid." Rangiku patted Katsuya's head. He blushed.

"Wait, what do you mean he 'did something'?" Ichigo gave Katsuya his full attention.

"When you and Shuhei-hei were talking, Shu did a motion with his hand. That's why I grabbed his hand. He was doing something. I don't know what he did though. I think I was too late. Me being too late explains why you went super out of control and killed all the soul reapers that weren't on your side."

"How'd you know about that?"

"I was there. I pulled the necklace off your neck and, sorry but, I head butted you." Katsuya gave a childish smile.

"I knew that felt familiar!" Ichigo pointed at Katsuya.

"Yeah."

The group didn't know why Ichigo seemed happy about knowing who hit him in the head. Shouldn't he have been mad at Katsuya for doing that?

"Katsuya." Rukia cut in.

"I know. From what I heard from Toshi, I'd say that Ren was somewhat there but not. I mean, that was part of his power."

"What was?" Ichigo asked.

"That's right. I never tried explaining to you what kind of powers they posses."

"Wait, since that was Ren's doing in the woods, then that means Shu's power isn't illusions?" Rukia added her question in.

"Let me get there. I can't tell you the extent of their abilities, because they only told me the gist of it. Yes I watched them spar, but they only did sword play with me around. They rarely used their powers when I was with them. If they did, then it was just what I'm about to tell you. So, you see, Ren has the ability to create or manifest swords at will. He can do this as long as he can move his arms to give the swords the direction and target they need to go to. I'm not sure if he prefers to throw them or not. Toshi said there was a lot of kicking involved, so I suppose he liked to add pizazz to his attacks. Now to Chappy's question, Shu does use illusions. I'm pretty sure that's his zanpakuto's ability anyway."

"But he used it on the base we had to destroy. It was burning, and we all felt the heat." Ichigo told him.

"I wasn't finished." Katsuya kicked off his sandals and sat with his legs criss-crossed on the couch. Renji noticed he was wearing a different uniform that actually fit him, along with the sandals. "Ahem! Shu apparently has the ability in himself that lets him create illusions. His zanpakuto amplifies that power. It's an illusion type? If that even exists. He doesn't use it without his zanpakuto, so this is pretty different. He does have other abilities like the healing in a different way than normal, and I guess you could count the level of tolerance in there too."

"He was... protecting me though." Ichigo didn't understand that well. He knew Shu needed him for whatever he had planned, but why jump in at the last moment when everyone was asking about what happened? Ichigo could have fed them a lie. He could have blamed it on his hollow simply, and stretch the extent to his powers. Why'd he cut in? Was he merely protecting Ren? Maybe it was to show them his power, but still. Ichigo didn't know that was Shu in the first place, so what was the point?

"Well he needs you, after all." Katsuya said. "He needs you physically, so as long as you're well, he'll use you, despite that not really being in his personality. He doesn't need you to be locked up anywhere either, so that could be your answer."

After they talked about other things and floating off the main topic, Renji came up with an important subject that everyone was probably wondering. "Ichigo," Renji said, "Why haven't you just tried to go in and fight him or get rid of him yourself?"

"I've tried, but the box won't respond to me. It never did in the first place, so I don't see why it would now."

"You tried everything?"

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure Zangetsu has tried everything too. He has to stare at it all day anyway."

Katsuya was fiddling with the chain that was around his neck. He had taken it off and started messing with it. When he felt people staring at him, he looked up. "What? I can't really add to your convo at the time. Maybe later." He went back to messing with the chain.

"This is important you know." Rangiku said.

"I'm not saying it's not. Sorry if it seems like I'm not taking it seriously, but I really can't add to it until I know more. Speaking of taking it seriously, I haven't been taking this seriously this whole time. I mean it probably seemed like it, but I haven't. If everything went according to plan, this would have been over already. I apologize for that."

"Then, since we know where Shu is, and we know the gist of his power, why don't we settle things tomorrow?" Renji said. Ichigo and Rangiku were all for it. Rukia looked at Katsuya worried. Katsuya glanced at her and smiled.

"Saying this, Pineapple, you'd have to exclude Ichi. If he's involved, you'd have to fight Ichi, I'm pretty sure of that."

"No problem, I can beat him anytime."

"Oh really?" Ichigo scoffed. "Says the guy that practically lost to me not once but twice?"

"I let you win! The first time I couldn't use my full power, and the second-"

"And the second...?" Ichigo was enjoying this. He knew He had beaten Renji no matter what his excuse was.

"You two stop." Rangiku said. Renji was relieved to hear her say it. He didn't want to finish the one-sided argument. Ichigo gave Renji a 'You've just been saved' look.

"Anyway, we need a plan." Katsuya looked out the window, it was getting dark out, so he needed to wrap this up. "Right now, I don't think we'd have enough time to make one. It would probably take us all night, because we have to think of the ways Shu could use Ichi and Ren."

"Then we'll make a plan and settle things tomorrow then." Ichigo said.

"Provided that nothing happens tomorrow that would break this little party we have scheduled." Katsuya stole another glance at Rukia. He knew that tomorrow was the day Rukia had planned something for Ichigo and possibly the other captains as well, so he had to make sure that Ichigo wakes up late or they set a time to leave. "Me and Ichi will come get you when we're ready tomorrow, okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Renji said. Everyone agreed. Rukia liked the idea, because if she knew what Katsuya was thinking, then he'd delay Ichigo until noon. Rukia decided to tell some squad members to tell Ichigo to head to Sokyoku Hill for a meeting to make sure he listened. If he didn't listen to Katsuya, he'd listen to the squad members.

"Well, this sounds like the meetings wrapping up!" Rangiku said. "Whose up for a little fun?"

Ichigo pretty much knew what Rangiku called fun. Drinking. He couldn't drink and Katsuya definitely couldn't. This somehow triggered a memory that was long forgotten. He remembered the threat Ren gave him just a few days ago, that if he got to close to Katsuya, then he'd have to get rid off him. He completely forgot, and yet, Ren hasn't done anything. He said he didn't want to after all. Maybe he's trying to ignore the fact that Katsuya's helping. Did he have a soft spot for kids? Either way, Katsuya was safe for now. He was too far into the situation after agreeing to help in the first place, so there isn't a point in trying to kick him out now. All Ichigo can do is hope Ren doesn't do anything until they force Shu to remove him.

"I'll pass," Ichigo said, trying to push this memory aside for the time being.

"I want to have a little fun!" Katsuya said unknowingly.

"No! No you don't." Ichigo stopped him from leaving after Rangiku.

"Ichi!"

"No, that's adult fun, not kids fun. That's why I passed."

"But I thought they were around your age group."

"They look it, but they aren't. They are way older." Ichigo whispered this because he knew that if Rangiku or Rukia heard him, he'd get slapped.

"Oh... OH! I get what you mean." Katsuya blushed. Ichigo's cheeks started to burn red after thinking of a reason for Katsuya's blushing.

Ichigo stepped out of the room to see everyone off when he saw Rukia, Renji, and Rangiku talking to Ukitake. He walked up to them when Ukitake was about to leave.

"See you later." Ukitake said to them all, taking his leave. The all waved to his back.

"What was that all about?" Ichigo asked.

"He was just passing by when we ran into him. He was just wishing us a good night." Rukia informed.

"Oh..." Ichigo watched Ukitake as he turned a corner.

"We'll see you tomorrow!" Rangiku smiled and started to walk toward the nearest bar. "Let's go you two!"

X

After everyone left, Ichigo took the couch once again. He took off his captains jacket and sandals this time and made himself comfortable on the couch. Katsuya stood over him.

"Why won't you sleep on the bed?"

"Well... I've already made myself comfortable here, so I'm good. You go ahead and take it." Ichigo replied. He had already closed his eyes and folded his arms behind his head.

"Fine, but let me give you a blanket!" Katsuya scampered into the next room to go get it.

Ichigo didn't realize how tired he was until he actually had a few moments of silence. He was running around a lot today anyway. It makes since to him that he'd be tired. He needed to get some rest anyway for tomorrow. He was ready to get back to his normal, Ren free life. He wished this didn't happen in the first place though. If he merely declined Ukitake's offer, knowing this would cause more problems, then he should have. Ichigo regretted being stubborn, but there really was no choice. He didn't want to let Ukitake down.

Before Ichigo knew it, he had already drifted off into sleep. He wasn't really quick to fall asleep, but maybe he was just ready for it to be the next day already. The faster the night goes by, the quicker he'd be able to confront Shu.

X

Katsuya had the blanket in his hands. He remembered where he had gotten it. He saw Rukia when he was making his hasty retreat to Ichigo's office. They had gotten into a conversation and the topic was about couches, and Ichigo popped up. Rukia offered Katsuya an extra blanket from the Kuchiki Manor which he humbly accepted. It was a plain white color. There were sewn patterns on it, but they were barely visible. Katsuya debated on whether they were diamonds or squares.

Katsuya skipped back in the room and looked at Ichigo. He seemed asleep, but he wasn't for sure. His eyes were closed when he left the room in the first place, so he couldn't tell.

Not knowing this, Katsuya stood about three feet away from him and tried his name. "Ichigo...?" He whispered.

No answer.

"Ichigo." He tried in his normal tone of voice.

Nothing.

"Yo! Ichigo! Hello? I know you hear me boy!"

Ichigo didn't move at all. Katsuya was practically yelling now. He even snapped in his face, but he didn't flinch. It was hard to tell if he was just ignoring him or if he was actually asleep.

After a few minutes of standing and watching, Katsuya came up with something. It was something he knew he shouldn't attempt, but he dared himself to say it. "Ren?" He whispered.

"What," He said bluntly.

* * *

><p>This chapter was suppose to be a bit longer than it is now, but I decided to add it to the next chapter. ^^<p>

Review!


	23. Chapter 23

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 23**

Katsuya said nothing. He wasn't expecting that to work. He regretted saying his name.

"What?" He said more irritated.

"Hm." Katsuya didn't know what to say. He didn't really want to ask him anything. Then again, this could be a good opportunity to get more information to add to what he already knew, provided that Ren wanted to answer. "Why are you here?"

"Because, I'm kinda on a mission and what not."

"Don't get smart with me."

"Don't make me get up."

"Meany." Katsuya said under his breath. "Why are you here, as in why now? And while you're at it, why haven't you done anything yet? I mean, I'm pretty sure you haven't found what you're looking for."

He opened an eye, staring at Katsuya. It was gold and black. Ren seemed to be analyzing him, but he was only staring into Katsuya's eyes_. I'm pretty sure he's not going to answer me..._ Katsuya thought. _Why is he staring at me?_

"I'll answer the second one before the first one." He said. Katsuya looked surprised. Ren looked up at the ceiling; both of his eyes were open now. "Why haven't I done anything? Well, I've been... busy."

"Don't lie!"

"You wouldn't understand in the first place. After the battle with shorty, I found it a bit harder to force my way into control. This was some time after Spiky and I recovered. That's why Shu took it into his own hands to fix it. I'm not telling you anything more detailed than that, because I know you know that much. It's not like I wasn't listening. To your first question, I'm here now because I'm... tired."

Katsuya just stared at him in disbelief. "You- Your tired...?" Katsuya stammered.

Ren looked at him again. "Yeah, that's what I said." He yawned, proving his point. "Normally I'd still be in his inner world, but I can't get any rest because I've been slung around and thrown everywhere. Right now, this is a win-win situation for me and Spiky. I win because I get sleep, and he wins because he won't and can't get disturbed."

"Then tell me this," Katsuya was a bit skeptical. "Why haven't you done anything to me?"

"Why? I told you already, I'm tired."

"Are you being sarcastic?"

"No. I'm being 100% honest. I wouldn't lie about my tiredness. I would do something but I'm not in the mood. You're not being too involved anyway. I mean, you're giving them information, but I wouldn't say to the point to where I'd have to get rid of you. You know? I'm pretty sure if you weren't involved like you are, they'd have planned something anyway. You are, however, pushing your luck." Ren smiled. "There will be one more lost child in the world if you get to that point though."

"I bet you'd like that." Katsuya said in a teasing manner. Ren didn't answer. He was staring at the ceiling once again, the smile gone. Katsuya stared at him for a moment. "You know you could always ditch Shu and join us. Always an option."

"Unlike you, I can be torn apart and put back together, so I'll pass for now."

Katsuya perked up after hearing that sentence. He smiled. "Got it."

"Although," Ren said, getting back onto one of the previous subjects, "I was suppose to have gotten rid of you by now. The only reason why you're here now is because I screwed some things up. I could do something to you now if I was in the mood, but I don't have time for that really."

Katsuya titled his head to the side, somewhat confused. He was about to reply to Ren's statement when Ren started to speak again.

"What's with you standing there with a blanket?"

"I was gonna give it to Ichi. It gets cold despite the weather during the day."

"Don't just stand there then. Get your ass over here and give it to me."

Katsuya blew air into his cheeks. "Get your butt up and get it yourself!" Katsuya threw the blanket on the other couch. He then marched his way back to the back room. "Lazy bum." He muttered before shutting the door.

Ren looked over at the blanket on the other couch. He reached for it with obviously no success. He glared at it, as if it would do something. He ruffled Ichigo's orange hair. "Kat! Get your ass back in here and give the blanket to me damn it!" He pleaded. He really didn't want to get up. He heard Katsuya laugh. "Fine fine," Ren said to himself. He flipped off the couch and headed to the door. "I'd rather not leave while it's dark, but I can most likely do what I need to do now."

Ren carefully opened the door and shut it behind him. He grinned. "Time to get started."

...

Katsuya flipped toward the wall. He stayed like that for a moment, and then flipped again. He couldn't seem to find a good position to stay in. Every time he stayed in one for too long, he'd get uncomfortable. He wanted to just get up, but what would he do? It was morning, but he was pretty sure Ichigo was still asleep. Even if he was awake, he'd want to go get everyone and start a plan.

Katsuya flung the blanket off of him and paced the room quietly. _What time is it?_ Katsuya searched the drawers for something that indicated time. He found an old fashion clock. There were swords as the minute and hour hands. _Cute._ Katsuya thought.

He looked at where the hour and minute hand was. It said 8:30. Three hours and thirty more minutes until they had to be at Sokyoku Hill. What would he do? He'd planned on going to mess with Ichigo, but he'd just want to get up and go. He could talk Ichigo to death for the remaining time, but he was trying not to do that. The only reasonable thing to do was to just try to go back to sleep or just lie in bed until Ichigo got up. So that's what Katsuya did.

X

The time was now 11:01 and Katsuya was now sitting in the main office space with Ichigo. A soul reaper had surprisingly brought Ichigo a late breakfast, but it was more than he could eat, so he gave what he didn't want to Katsuya, who gladly took it.

Ichigo had received six pancakes. Two were buttermilk, two were chocolate chip, and two were blueberry. Ichigo obviously didn't let Katsuya get the chocolate chip pancakes, so Katsuya took the two blueberry and one buttermilk. Ichigo got the rest. He also got a couple strips of bacon, scrambled and sunny side up eggs, two biscuits, and three sausages. The soul reaper fortunately didn't know whether to get Ichigo apple juice, orange juice, or just plain water, so he brought all three. Ichigo didn't care what he got, so Katsuya took the apple juice and Ichigo debated on orange juice or water.

While they ate, they talked. They didn't really get to have a conversation that didn't involve their current situation. It was nice for both of them.

At 11:30, Katsuya told Ichigo about going to Sokyoku Hill.

"Now? What about the plan?"

"It's a meeting, Ichi! You don't have a choice."

Ichigo looked at Katsuya suspiciously. He didn't know whether he was making this up so he could just go to the hill or not. It wasn't hard to trust Katsuya, because he hadn't failed him yet, but it was out of the blue.

A knock came from the other side of the door. Katsuya took his plate and hid behind the couch he was sitting on. He knew he couldn't be seen. While he did this, Ichigo answered the door.

"Captain Kurosaki!" The soul reaper at the door said.

"Yeah?" Ichigo answered.

"I was sent here to tell you that there is a meeting at Sokyoku Hill at noon. Please don't be late!" Ichigo nodded at the soul reaper and watched him scamper off. When the door closed, Katsuya sat back on the couch. Ichigo flopped back on the couch and put a chocolate chip pancake in his mouth.

"So..." Katsuya said smiling.

"There's a meeting." He mumbled.

"Told you! Let's go! We don't want to be late!"

"We?"

"Yeah! 'We' this time. I wanna go! Please! I can wait somewhere!"

Ichigo thought. Where could Katsuya wait? He didn't intend on bringing him, but there were places to hide around there. "There's some stairs on the side of the hill. I'll take you that far I guess. At least to the top. You can hide in the trees until it's over. Just keep out of sight, okay?"

Katsuya gave Ichigo a sunny smile and finished his breakfast quickly. He then rushed Ichigo to finish his. When he was done, they both walked out of the door after they made sure they didn't forget anything.

Ichigo looked at Sokyoku Hill. There seemed to be something set up on the hill. He couldn't make out what he was seeing, due to the sun in his eyes, but he knew something was up there. Katsuya jumped and giggled at the sight. Ichigo didn't understand why he was so happy. It was just a meeting.

The walk was pretty long, but they made it to the bottom of Sokyoku Hill in good time. Katsuya was freaking out due to the many flights of stairs they had to climb in order to reach the top.

"We better start so I won't be late." Ichigo said. Katsuya nodded and they both started walking up the first flight of stairs.

Things were going pretty slow, so Ichigo decided to use flash step to hurry the climb, but Katsuya had a better plan.

"Race you to the top!" He said and started running up the stairs as fast as he could. Ichigo stood on the step he was on to soak in the information he just received.

"W-Wait Katsuya!" Ichigo yelled. He started skipping steps, trying to catch up with him. As he made his way up, he started to hear light beats of... music? He couldn't make out the exact song, or whatever was playing was, but he was pretty sure everyone in the Seireirei was up tight. _Music at a meeting? What's going on up there?_

X

"I... Win...!" Katsuya panted. He ran all the way without walking. He slowed down periodically, but he kept going.

Ichigo collapsed on the ground beside Katsuya. He hadn't planned on doing that much running. Especially up stairs. "I was going to carry you up by using flash step if you just waited!"

"You should have told me to wait!"

"I did. The whole time actually!"

"You should have tried harder!" Katsuya looked around at the trees. They looked like they were dying slowly. Too much sun maybe? He wanted to water them, but something else caught his eye. He immediately jumped up and gasped.

"What?" Ichigo asked, getting to his feet.

"Ferris wheel!"

"Ferris... wheel...?" Ichigo looked in the direction Katsuya was smiling in. Sure enough, there was a Ferris wheel turning slowly with people in black uniforms riding in the seats. "No way."

Ichigo and Katsuya walked closer to get a better look. The sound of music that would be heard at a fair was now clearly heard by the two. Ichigo's jaw dropped as he saw the scene in front of him. It was a fair. There were many booths and food stands scattered throughout the hill top along with a stage near the broken Sokyoku. Some big rides were set up near the middle, probably because they could fall off the edge due to movement.

Near some food stands were tables and benches. Some tables held umbrellas in the middle of them, while others were without them. Most of the benches were faced inward, but few of them were turned outward, toward the Seireitei. According to Ichigo's memory, there weren't any picnic tables, or anything to eat food on, at a fair.

Katsuya jumped with happiness and started to run toward the rides. Ichigo snapped out of his amazement and grabbed Katsuya before he could go far. "Ichi! I wanna go play!" It was like he reverted into a smaller kid then he already was. Kind of like his sisters.

"Hold up a second." He said. "What is all this?"

"It's something for everyone to relax." A feminine voice said. Ichigo looked over to see Rukia standing beside him. "This happens every year. Not the same event, but around the same day. Last year it was on Wednesday and we had a haunted house theme." Rukia smiled.

"How'd you get this here? When did it get here?"

"It got here last night and we started setting up this morning. Since there were a lot of soul reapers willing to help, we got done early and opened it up to everyone. You were the last captain we contacted to get here, which conveniently was around noon. We rented the fair from the World of the Living."

"I didn't know that was possible." Katsuya said.

"Wait," Ichigo looked at Rukia. "I'm sure the people who own the fair are going to check up on you guys, so aren't the people who rented it to you going to wonder where their rides and stands went when they come?" Rukia stared at him for a while. "Don't tell me you didn't think that far!"

"Calm down." She finally answered. "I'm sure the Head Captain planned this through to that point and beyond." Ichigo didn't believe that. Yes, Head Captain Yamamoto wasn't dumb, but it seemed that the Seireitei knew very little about the World of the Living when it came to everything that doesn't involve souls or hollows. Ichigo wondered what the company was doing now, knowing that their stuff is gone.

Rukia motioned for them to walking closer to the fair. As they did, Rukia tried her best to answer any questions Ichigo might have, but wasn't saying.

"There isn't going to be any gatherings here today. It's like a normal World of the Living type day in the Seireitei. And the meeting Katsuya said we were going to do about 'you know what' will be after this."

"If we're here all day, then we can spend all night on it. Okay?" Katsuya added.

"Yeah, just have fun today."

"Alright." Ichigo said reluctantly. He wanted this crisis to be over with. If they knew this was today, then they should of told him so they could have worked around it. This made Ichigo mad, but he would have to deal with it. He was really looking forward to ending the problem though.

"Good! Now I'm going to go find Renji. I left him near the cotton candy stand." Rukia started to leave them. "I've already told him and anyone else involved about it, so don't worry about that."

Ichigo looked around. What was he going to do? He didn't really like going to fairs without his friends his age. All he had was Katsuya. This reminded him that Katsuya needed to be out of sight. Ichigo looked at Katsuya, who was waiting patiently for him to make a move.

"Shouldn't you be out of sight?" Ichigo questioned Katsuya.

"Um..." He scanned the crowd. "I should be... But I don't wanna be." He gave him a puppy dog look. Ichigo ignored it.

"I have a feeling that I'm going to regret this..." Ichigo paused. Katsuya's eyes sparkled. "Where?"

"House of mirrors! I use to love going in there! My parents would always lose me and hit the mirrors." Katsuya started to run toward the House of Mirrors when Ichigo told him to slow down.

X

Rukia dragged Renji around the fair ground, searching. She scanned all the prizes that could be seen in each booth. Nothing was striking her interest.

"Rukia, hold up!" Renji shouted at her.

"I can't! I have to find one!" She said, determined.

"Find what? I can help you find it."

Rukia gasped and started to giggle girlishly. Renji looked at the booth she was staring at. The sign on the top of the booth said 'Ring Toss'. Renji stared at the objects that were used in the game. There was a structure that looked like stairs with five steps, in the back of the booth. The steps got smaller as they ascended toward the top of the roof. On each step sat glass bottles. They were spaced out so that only five could fit on the first step, or bottom step, four on the second, three on the third, two on the fourth and one on the fifth.

There were rings sitting on the counter that separated the bottles and steps from the players. Three were spaced out for easy access. Some rings were already scattered around the ground inside the booth. It looked self-explanatory to Renji.

"You were looking for this game?" Renji asked.

"Not the game. The prize!" She pointed to something hanging from the inside corner of the booth. It was pink and had whiskers. Renji face palmed. "The limited addition chappy pillow!" Her eyes sparkled as she stared at it. "I have to win it!"

"The game looks easy, so you should be able to do it."

Rukia's head snapped toward him. She was glaring at him. "What do you mean 'It should be easy for you'? Do you think I can't do something as simple as this?" She barked.

"Uh... No! I was just saying that- that you basically have that limited addition chappy pillow right in your hands." Renji watched her turn her head back toward the pillow. Her face lit up again, but he knew she was watching him from the corner of her eyes. He needed to watch what he said to her from now on.

Rukia watched as the soul reaper in front of her threw the rings at the bottles. She missed the first two times, but the third time she got the ring over a bottle on the second row from the top. She jumped for joy and picked a yellow stuffed bird. The bird was on the second row on the back of the wall in the booth. When the vendor handed it to her, she cuddled it and walked away, looking for something else to do.

Rukia was next. She stepped up and the soul reaper in control of the booth greeted them. "Welcome Lieutenant Kuchiki, Captain Abarai. Do you know how to play?"

"From observing the other girl, I think I got it." Rukia said.

"Very well. Have at it." The soul reaper handed Rukia a red ring. She examined it and aimed for a bottle. She then tossed it at a bottle on the third step from the bottom. The ring grazed the rem of the bottle, hit the back of the step, and landed on the ground. The soul reaper then handed her a yellow ring. Rukia moved and tried to aim for a bottle on the second step from the top. When she threw it, the ring hit the bottle and knocked it over. She frowned and took a blue ring.

"I'll get it this time!" She shouted, pumped. _I have to get this so I can prove to Renji that I can do something as simple as this!_ Rukia aimed for the same bottle she knocked over on her second try. She stared it down and did some test movements with the ring. When she thought she was ready, she tossed the ring. It glided through the air and landed over the bottle she was aiming for. She jumped for joy and pointed at the pillow. The soul reaper looked at her.

"I'm sorry Lieutenant, but you can't get that prize. As you can see, the prizes are lined up for each row. You'll have to get something from the second row."

"Oh... Okay." Rukia scanned the row. She didn't want anything from this row. There was a blue bunny plushy on this row, which she picked, but she really wanted the chappy.

She looked at Renji who was laughing at her. She punched him in his side and pointed to the game. "If you think it's so simple, then you get a ring over the first bottle and get me the chappy pillow!"

He looked at her. He might as well show her his skills at such a simple game. "Alright. I'll make it in one shot." He grabbed a red ring off of the counter and aimed for the first bottle.

"Good luck Captain Abarai." The soul reaper said, standing aside. Renji tossed the ring and it landed on its mark.

"Ha! Told you it was easy." Renji smiled with victory.

"Great job, Captain! What prize would you like?" The soul reaper asked.

"That chappy pillow." Renji was smiling until it dawned on him that what he picked as a prize wasn't very manly. None of the prizes were really meant for guys, but out of all the ones he could have picked, that one was very girly.

"I see. I didn't know you liked chappy." The soul reaper smiled.

"It's not for me!" Renji told him, embarrassed.

"Okay Captain." The soul reaper grabbed the pillow with care and handed it to him while whispering something to him. "It's okay to like something like this Captain. Everyone has their likes and dislikes. You should express that like instead of hide it."

"I don't like chappy or anything to do with it for that matter!" Renji snatched the pillow out of the smiling soul reaper's hands. "It's for her damn it!" He threw the pillow at Rukia and started to walk away, which earned him another punch to his side.

* * *

><p>Fun at the fair! ^^ Review please!<p> 


	24. Chapter 24

_Hey guys! Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with school and what not. You tend to not want to type when you have to do it so much for one project... Anyway, I'll do my best to make up for lost time. I'm not sure if there are any errors in this chapter that I haven't already revised, so bare with me. I read about 4,000 words nearly 3 times before I want to consider putting a chapter out. _**  
><strong>

_~Hope you enjoy.  
><em>

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 24**

Ichigo walked behind Katsuya as he explored the maze of mirrors. So far, Katsuya wasn't hitting any mirrors. He would stop to examine the path he was about to take and then make a decision.

Giggles and playful screams could be heard from the small building. There wasn't anything to be afraid of in a house of mirrors, besides someone else or maybe even your own reflection. Ichigo wondered what the soul reapers were doing. Something he wondered more was if any captain class soul reapers were in the building. He knew he shouldn't be worrying about it, but he was curious. Would any captains or lieutenants come to play in a place filled with confusing mirrors? He thought about it for a while and came to a conclusion that it could be used for training, in a way. Ichigo didn't know why he was so nervous.

"Ichi!" Katsuya said, smiling. "I have a feeling that we are close to the exit! Since I've been leading this whole time, it's your turn!" Katsuya pushed Ichigo in front of him and motioned him to continue through the maze.

Ichigo sighed and walked straight as he saw and heard Katsuya chuckle behind him in the mirrors. He put his hands out in front of him to make sure he didn't run into anything, and kept going.

"Don't do that! You'll ruin the fun!" Katsuya jumped. Ichigo lowered his arms due to Katsuya's statements and turned left. Right after he did this, Ichigo hit a mirror. Katsuya laughed and pointed the way he should have turned. He told him that the trick was to take big, but unnoticeable, steps so that the tip of his sandal would hit the glass instead of his face. With this in mind, Ichigo continued. Katsuya watched him as he improved.

Ichigo started to feel cold wind blowing by him in several directions. Confused, he stopped. Katsuya hit his back. "What's up?"

"Which way?"

"Which way?" Katsuya repeated. "You're in front so you decide."

Ichigo looked at the ways he could go. It appeared to be two. _Where is the extra wind coming from?_ Ichigo thought.

Examining the paths, Ichigo looked for differences. Nothing was popping out at him until he felt a gust of warm air wash over him from his right. Since it was hot outside, Ichigo came to the conclusion that the air came from outside, so they were close to the exit.

Katsuya followed Ichigo as they came to the end of the maze. They both squinted as the sun blinded them.

"Yay! Let's go again!" Katsuya exclaimed as Ichigo looked around.

"No thanks." Ichigo started to walk away.

"Fine then!" Katsuya sniffed the air. His eyes sparkled once more and he started toward the food stands. "I smell funnel cakes!"

Ichigo remembered hearing about funnel cakes, but never had one. Trying to get a feel for what he was about to try while following Katsuya, he sniffed the air. A sugary cake smell filled his nose. Liking what he smelled, Ichigo caught up to Katsuya.

When they reached the stand, the soul reaper asked how they would like their funnel cakes. Katsuya smiled furiously and told the soul reaper to give him a lot of powdered sugar on his. When he asked Ichigo, he told him to put a little sprinkle on his. His mouth was watering, waiting for this tangled fried cake to touch down in his mouth.

The soul reaper handed Ichigo his funnel cake and turned to Katsuya. "You seem a bit younger than most of the soul reapers I've seen." Katsuya and Ichigo looked at each other, not knowing what to expect out of this conversation. "You're from the academy, right? I guess it is time for them to be showing up now."

"Oh, yeah..." Katsuya said, confused.

"You're from the academy?" Ichigo played along. "I didn't know the students came here."

"I guess no one told you, Captain." The soul reaper started to inform, "During this week on this day, the students get to come and celebrate with the real soul reapers. They get this one day to come into the Seireitei and have fun. They apparently get to wear our uniforms though for some reason, but they don't get to keep them."

"Oh. Okay." Ichigo said.

After they walked away, they both seemed to let out a breath they both were holding. Katsuya could pass for a student now. That was something Ichigo didn't have to worry about now.

He looked at Katsuya to see his face covered in powdered sugar. Katsuya was munching on the funnel cake happily, not caring what he got on his face or uniform, which was getting covered with white powder with every bite.

Ichigo looked at his cake. Ready to stop the watering in his mouth, he bit into his. It was a good as it smelled. It tasted just like a cake topped with pure sugar after taking a short dip in frying grease. He took another bite, but slowly chewed it so he wouldn't lose the whole thing in a matter of seconds.

X

"Come on Captain! You just got out of the sickbay and you're fully recovered! You should have a little fun now!" Rangiku whined.

"No! I'm done!" Toshiro shouted at her and continued his fast paced walk toward the stairs leading to the ground.

"It was only meant to keep you safe! They didn't do it just to keep you off the ride! At least play some other games!"

"I'm a captain class soul reaper and they know that, but they still tell me I cannot get on!"

"Come on!" Rangiku caught up with Toshiro and grabbed him. She tried to turn him back toward the games and rides waiting to be messed with.

"If I can't ride a simple ride without being told I'm too short, then there's no point in staying here!"

Right off the bat after arriving, Rangiku dragged Toshiro to several games before pointing to a roller coaster type ride. They waited in line for their turn, but Toshiro wasn't allowed in due to his height. Rangiku gave up her spot in line to chase after her lieutenant.

"I will not tolerate such foolishness!" Toshiro exclaimed before shrugging Rangiku off. She tried again to get him to have fun, but he kept walking.

"Fine then Captain! You will stay and have fun no matter what happens! That's an order." Toshiro then turned around to stare at his temporary captain. He had to listen to her. Even though the order was stupid in his eyes, he had to do what he was told by his superior. It made him mad, knowing that he had to comply, but a part of him was happy that he was ordered to stay. He saw a candy stand while he stormed off, so he definitely wanted to go there.

Toshiro walked by her and headed back to the fair. Rangiku smiled brightly and followed him in. "So, what do you want to do? Oh wait! I know. To the candy stand!" Toshiro gave a faint blush as he was pulled toward the stand.

X

After riding a few rides that were set up, Ichigo and Katsuya came to a game known as Test your Strength. Ichigo picked this game out of everything they did. Katsuya kept running around to different games and rides, so Ichigo never got a chance to do something he wanted. This was right up his alley.

The soul reaper at the stand smiled at the two and handed Katsuya the hammer used in the game. Before taking it, Katsuya cracked his knuckles and shook his hands. He then took the hammer and lifted it over his shoulder. He looked like he was about to fall over, but Ichigo didn't try to help him. Soul reapers, even though Katsuya wasn't one, were supposed to be strong, or have some physical strength. Since Katsuya was thought to be in the academy, he should have some muscle at least.

Ichigo looked at the game itself. The scale went from 1 to 10. In between each number, there was a word that apparently described one's hit. Under the 1 had the words 'You suck!' and the words above 10 said 'Master!'. Ichigo knew he was going to ring the bell, but he didn't know about Katsuya. Then again, he hadn't heard the bell ring at all, no matter how many times they passed the game. Was it really that hard?

Katsuya held the hammer up and slammed it on the target on the base of the game. The small metal piece in between numbers and remarks shot up and slowed at the 4 mark, which said 'Needs work'. Despite the score, Katsuya was happy. He then handed the hammer to Ichigo. He wanted to say 'Beat that' but Katsuya already knew Ichigo was stronger than him, so there was no point.

The soul reaper made Ichigo wait for a second as he tinkered with something behind the game. When he was done, he let Ichigo proceed. Ichigo held the hammer firmly in his hands. It was a tad bit heavy, but not enough to affect his swing. Zangetsu weighed about the same, so it was like swinging him. It would be a good way to see how hard his swing was.

Ichigo focused in on his target and let the hammer slam down on it with as much force as he could. The metal piece glided to the 8 mark, which said 'Swords play', and slide back down to the spot it came from. Ichigo looked at the game puzzled. He knew his swing was better than this. It was better than getting lower than 8 though.

Seeing Ichigo's face, the soul reaper said something. "You know, almost all of the captains tried this game, and you were the only one to get 8. Some of them got seven and a half, but not a solid eight. I had to tweak the pressure of the target to make it fit the class you're in, so it seems fair. No one has rung the bell because it's set for the position he or she might be in."

"I get it!" Katsuya said. "That's a nice change."

"Indeed."

When Katsuya finished talking to the soul reaper, they left. "Where to now?" Ichigo asked. They just about rode every ride that was here. Ichigo didn't feel like getting on another moving ride, so he told Katsuya to pick something that involves no machines. Katsuya searched the area and jumped.

"Ring Toss!" He shouted and ran toward it. Ichigo sighed and followed.

After they finished Ring Toss and other games such as Balloon and Darts, Horse Race, and Basketball, Katsuya dragged Ichigo to a drink stand.

This stand had pretty much every drink that was well known to man in stock. Drinks varied from sodas, like Sprite and Coke, to normal juices, like orange juice and apple juice. There were different kinds of lemonades and waters as well.

The soul reaper at the counter smiled and asked Katsuya what he wanted. He scanned the available bottles on the counter and the list to the right of him. There were too many for him to choose from, and he had a lot of favorites. Ichigo skimmed the list while he was waiting for Katsuya. He saw the bullet point that said 'Water Flavors' and 'Carbonated Water Flavors'. _Never had that before…_ He thought. Ichigo skimmed through more of what the stand had to offer and picked Sprite. He didn't drink soda that much but he might as well today. It didn't cost him anything in the first place.

Katsuya finally picked after letting three soul reapers cut in front of him. "I want the Grape soda please."

"Sure thing." The soul reaper slid over to the small freezer and pulled out a plastic bottle filled with Grape soda. She spun back over and handed it to Katsuya with a smile. "What would you like, Sir?"

"Sprite." It sounded like a question.

"Do you want it cold or room temperature?"

"Cold."

She walked over to where the sodas were kept and took one from the shelf. "I don't know why they have two different ways to drink them. I guess it has something to do with the names. Who knows? You probably know more than I do about this though, because it came from your world, Captain."

"Most of the time they're just sitting on the shelves and not in the freezers. I really don't know why they aren't being refrigerated. Some people prefer them room temperature though." The girl soul reaper skipped back over and handed the bottle to Ichigo.

"Will that be it?" She asked.

"We're good."

"Thank you!" Katsuya sung, walking away with Ichigo. The girl told him 'Your welcome' as he turned his back toward her.

Ichigo and Katsuya walked around for a few moments when someone bumped into Ichigo. The soul reaper fell over, along with his supplies from his bag, but Ichigo stayed standing.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Hanataro apologized.

"It's okay." Ichigo told him.

"Oh, Ichigo! I..." Hanataro remembered what Ichigo had told him yesterday when he bumped in to him. "Nice seeing you here."

"Banana!" Katsuya smiled.

"Hello Katsuya. I thought my nickname was Hana."

"I know someone who has that name, so I have to change yours."

"Makes sense. Oh! You don't have to do that Ichigo! I got it."

"It's okay, I can pick it up for you." While Katsuya and Hanataro were talking, Ichigo started to pick up the medical supplies that were dropped and returned them to their place in Hanataro's bag.

Ichigo examined some of the different medicines as he placed them in the bag. There were few that he had no idea what it was. One in particular stood out to him. It was in a small jar and had green liquid inside.

"Hey Hanataro, what's this?" Ichigo held up the jar.

"That's Shinten. It's a tranquilizer. If you put a drop on someone's forehead, they'll get dizzy and pass out. However, it only takes one drop for soul reapers with low spirit energy. It would probably take a lot more to knock you out though." Hanataro gave a nervous laugh and Katsuya asked him another question, grabbing his attention.

_Interesting._ Ichigo thought to himself. He stared at the jar for a few more seconds and placed it on the opposite of himself, out of sight from Katsuya and Hanataro. He then started to continue packing the medicine in the medical pack.

When he finished, he stood up and gave the bag to Hanataro. "Thank you." Hanataro smiled.

"No problem."

"Sorry again for bumping into you. I was in a hurry to get back to Squad 4. I have to finish helping the injured there. Just because it's a relaxation day doesn't mean you can ignore the injured."

"Your job must be hard Banana."

"You get use to it. I have to get going though. Thanks you guys!" Hanataro waved and started to clumsily run back to the stairs. Katsuya and Ichigo waved back.

"Well, where to now?" Ichigo asked.

"Um..." Katsuya's eyes trailed to the ground. "Banana left this!" He bent down and grabbed the small jar of Shinten that Ichigo had set aside.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to put it back in." He sighed and held his hand out, telling Katsuya to give him the medicine.

"Shouldn't we go catch him? What if he needs it?"

"We can give it to him later, don't worry. I'm sure they have more at the sickbay." Katsuya handed Ichigo the jar and he pocketed it. When he did this, they started to walk back toward the games.

Katsuya happily eyed his soda. As he put his hand on the cap to unscrewed it, Ichigo heard an echo. It was very familiar. He tried to ignore it, even though he knew what it was.

"Hey Katsuya, I have a feeling that Zangetsu is going to be talking to me so just ignore our conversation."

"Okay! I'll find a bench for us then. Tell him I said hi!" Katsuya took a sip and looked for a vacant bench while Ichigo followed.

Ichigo waited patiently for someone to say something. He opened his Sprite and drunk some. It tasted like a normal, Human World Sprite.

"Ichigo..." Zangetsu said. It sounded like he had some type of emotion behind the way he said his name.

"You sound irritated." Ichigo said. Katsuya smiled and skipped. He was interested in what they were saying.

"Are you any closer to solving the problem yet?"

"Yeah. We should be making... What's that?" There was a faint trace of humming in the background of Zangetsu. He knew it wasn't Zangetsu, so the only other one it could be was 'Him'.

Ichigo heard Zangetsu give an aggravated sigh. "He has been doing this since this morning."

"I can see why you're agitated..." Ichigo never heard Zangetsu mad before. He heard him yell, but not mad. His hollow's humming was really annoying. It sounded like he was trying to fight himself while humming. Sometimes the humming would be like any other person's, smooth and level, but every now and then, it would get rougher. "Tell him to shut up!" Ichigo almost shouted.

"I've tried." Zangetsu sounded defeated. "He would give me an irritated look and continue."

Ichigo wanted to rip his hair out as the humming got louder. "What's up, King?"

"Can you shut up?" Ichigo barked. There was silence on Zangetsu's side. Ichigo blinked. He actually listened to me? "The hell?"

"What?" His hollow hissed. "Hurry up and solve the problem before I start singing! If I do, I swear I'll rip you apart."

"I actually miss those threats a little." Ichigo said. "I'm working on it! Just don't start humming again! Please!" Katsuya laughed at the expressions Ichigo was making. It was odd to see the reactions and not the cause.

"Like I want to keep doing this!"

"Ichigo," Zangetsu's voice echoed, "Continue with your answer."

"We should be going to solve this problem either today or tomorrow. Hopefully today for your sake more than mine." Ichigo sat down next to Katsuya on the bench facing the Seireitei after resting his sword on the arm rest. Katsuya was sipping his soda while smiling. He turned to Ichigo and told him to tell Zangetsu he said hi again. Ichigo put up his index finger, telling him to hold on.

"Hurry and fix the damn problem today! I can't take this anymore!" Ichigo heard his hollow walk off and then some crashes afterward.

"What is he doing?"

"Destroying buildings."

"I think I'd rather hear that then him humming."

"Indeed."

"By the way, Katsuya said hi..."

Zangetsu didn't say anything. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know Katsuya, so he couldn't think of anything to reply with. Instead, he said "Quickly finish the problem."

"Working on it." After this, he couldn't hear the buildings being destroyed anymore.

Katsuya looked at him eagerly. "What'd he say?"

"Nothing."

"Seriously? He sounds depressing." Katsuya pouted and slouched on the bench. Ichigo crossed his legs and rested his left arm on the bench's arm rest, soda in his right hand.

The two looked out at the Seireitei. Ichigo and Katsuya looked at the route they took to get to Sokyoku Hill. They also looked at the buildings that stuck out the most. Ichigo wondered who built the Seireitei and when the Seireitei was built. It must have been a pain to build.

Ichigo let the sun warm him face as he relaxed on the bench. Katsuya was rather quiet, but he was occupied by the buildings in the distance. Wanting another taste of his Sprite, Ichigo unscrewed the cap.

"Hey Ich- Eh! What's wrong?" Katsuya shouted.

"Huh?" Katsuya had been interrupted by Ichigo spitting out what he just sipped from his bottle. "Oh, nothing. My nose is burning." He set the bottle on the ground with haste, giving a smile to Katsuya while holding his nose.

"Your nose? I've had that happen a lot too. Give me a warning next time though. I don't want a spit bath."

"Alright." He breathed. "What were you going to say?"

"Oh! Yeah, I was gonna ask where did you want to go next. We barely rode any big rides, so I was thinking we could go on one or two."

"Fine." He stood up and stretched. He was about to walk back to the fun when he changed his mind.

"What's up?"

"You know, there's something I want to show you. Want to see it?"

"Now? Are we coming back?"

"Yeah. Get on my back." Katsuya shrugged and hopped on his back. He grabbed onto his shoulders and said he was ready. "Hold on tight."

"Holding!" With Katsuya's word, they were falling down the side of Sokyoku Hill.

Renji stopped after they jumped. He was running over to talk, but left before he could say anything. _Where are they going?_ Renji asked himself. He peaked over the edge to see where they were. The two were still falling but nearing the ground.

Renji stood looking out at the Seireitei when he felt someone approaching him from behind. He turned to see Ukitake.

"Hello Captain Abarai," he said with his usual smile.

"Oh, hi..." He wasn't expecting to see Ukitake here. He hadn't seen him all day until now. Renji wondered if he saw Ichigo and Katsuya jump.

"Do you know where they're going?"

"No. I just got here. I came to talk but they got away from me before I could say anything." Renji lost Rukia in the House of Mirrors and decided to go get cotton candy again because Rukia was taking too long to find the exit. That's when he saw Ichigo and Katsuya. He ran out of line to go talk, but they jumped.

"Hm... I wonder what they left for."

"Ichigo could have left something back at Squad 13. He's hopeless when it comes to remembering things."

Ukitake laughed. "That could be the case. Oh! I better get back to Shunsui. I left him at the drink stand and I'm sure if I don't get back quick, he'll get drunk. I'll see you around."

"Sure." Ukitake started walking off. When he got far enough for Renji to be comfortable, he sighed. "Something doesn't feel right." Renji looked over the edge to see where they were. It was hard to see them, but they weren't headed for the direction of squad 13.

Looking back at Ukitake, Renji jumped off the edge of the hill. He didn't know if Ichigo was lost or not, but it wouldn't hurt to check on him.

Ukitake turned and looked at the spot Renji once was. He tilted his head sideways. "Where'd he run off to?" Ukitake stood for a few moments and started forward.

* * *

><p>Are we finally going to see some action?<p> 


	25. Chapter 25

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 25**

The two arrived at their destination shortly after they left. Katsuya was surprisingly quiet on the way, but excited about what he was going to be shown.

Katsuya slid off Ichigo's back and stared at the structure in front of him. It was a big gate. Certainly there was something behind it, and he was eagerly waiting for the moment when the gates opened. He could smell some water, so he assumed it had something to do with him getting wet. He couldn't wait.

"What's behind the gate Ichi?" Katsuya asked impatiently but excitedly.

"Something I've been waiting to see for a while now." He beaconed for Katsuya to come toward him as he bent down into a squatting position. Katsuya came with a smile while he watched him dig in his pocket for something. When his hand came out of his pocket, it was the small jar of Shinten Katsuya had given to him a while ago.

With this in hand, he unscrewed the cap and put some on his finger. Examining it for a second, he extended his arm and tried to touch Katsuya's forehead with the finger he dipped in the tranquilizer. Katsuya quickly fell backward and scooted away, confused.

"What are you doing?" Katsuya almost shouted.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" He said nonchalantly.

"But... You..." Katsuya narrowed his eyes firmly. "When?"

"I don't like carbonated drinks." He said. Katsuya understood the hint.

Katsuya stood up slowly watching him. A lot of questions whirled through his head that he couldn't seem to grasp.

"You know, I thought you would catch on quicker than you just did. You know I don't drink soda. You should have started getting suspicious right when I, or rather Spiky, spit out the Sprite. Though, It doesn't really matter anymore." Ren sniffed his finger and then rubbed the Shinten off of his finger using the concrete. He stood up and wiped what was left of it on Ichigo's uniform.

Katsuya tried to say something, but he couldn't concentrate. All the questions he wanted to ask were strangling him. He couldn't form a sentence or even speak a word.

As if reading Katsuya's thoughts, as jumbled as they were, Ren answered. "I told you earlier Shu did something, and you know it. It's much easier but defective." Ren leaned on the wall the gate was connected to. "As for the reason I brought you here... It's so you won't screw anything up. Very little people know about this, so very few can help you. However, you could ask those few to stop me after you figure out what I'm doing. I know you'd try to figure out where I was going if I just told you that I had something to do, and I wasn't going to leave you up there alone."

"Well I'm flattered."

"Even though I could have told you to find those two soul reapers that hang around us, they'd probably suspect something and try to follow. I found this to be the easiest way."

Katsuya folded his arms. "Why were you so obvious?" Ren gave him a confused look. "You know with the tranquilizer?"

"Oh, yeah I didn't think it through all the way. Bumping into that little squad 4 member was an accident, so he wasn't a part of my plan. Spiky's curiosity made me think about what I was going to do with you."

"You could of like grabbed me and put it on my forehead or something."

"Do you want me to do that?"

"...No."

"Okay then." Ren looked at the gates and sighed.

"What is this place?"

"Beyond this gate is Central 46. From what I know, this place is small on the outside, but it is huge on the inside. It's apparently underground. There is, ironically, 46 members in this place that live here. They have more power than the Gotei 13's head captain, final judgment wise."

"That sounds awesome."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Well I'm going in after I get Shu here."

Katsuya gave Ren a vacant look. Fear washed over him immediately after he said he was going to get Shu. _This is the place he was looking for? Or is it what's in the place...? If Shu's coming here then... This isn't good! _Katsuya couldn't let Shu come. Whatever happened, Shu couldn't come. "N-no you're not." Katsuya managed to say.

"Oh yeah?" Ren cocked his head to the side. "Who's gonna stop me?"

Katsuya knew he had to stop Ren from calling because he didn't know exactly how he communicated to him, but if Ren was kept busy, maybe Katsuya could stop him just for a while. "I will_." I have to have faith that someone who's in the lope with me will come save me. I won't survive long if Ren takes this seriously._

Ren laughed upon hearing these words from Katsuya. "You," He laughed, "stopping me?" He paused, trying to stop laughing. "I hope you know you can't."

"You never know until you try!"

"This is turning into a cliché, so I'll tell you what. I'll reluctantly take you up on your offer..." Ren didn't sound too sure about what he said. He didn't seem to want to say yes, and yet he did.

"Really?" Katsuya sounded surprised. He didn't know Ren would accept his challenge.

"Yeah, sure." Ren walked away from the wall and stood about two yards in front of Katsuya. He then held his hand out, to where it looked like he was holding a sword. Out of thin air, a sword materialized in his hand. He moved this one to his left hand and manifested another one, which was stationed beside him instead of in his right hand. He did a shooing motion with his hand and the sword seemed to toss itself over to Katsuya, who dodged it.

"What the heck! You don't throw unsheathed swords at people!"

Ren shrugged. "Pick it up." He commanded.

Katsuya eyed the sword and picked it up. It felt surprisingly light. It seemed to be the perfect weight for a little boy like him. Katsuya looked at Ren with questions in his eyes.

"I know you aren't too skilled in hand to hand combat. You haven't used a sword either. However, I'd rather give you a better chance with this, then throwing punches."

"I have arm strength!"

"Prove it then." Ren hissed.

"Fine then!" Katsuya looked to his left. The entrance of Central 46 stood there, while to his right, there was a wall. Since they were about to have a one sided fight, Katsuya needed to distance himself and Ren from the gates. He didn't know if there were any guards behind it, so he had to be cautious.

Making his decision, Katsuya jumped on the wall to his right and started to hop the tops of them. Ren stared in amusement.

"To give you a winning chance, I'll give you a handicap." Katsuya slowed slightly as he strained to hear what Ren was saying. "If you can knock this sword out of my hand, you win. But if I pin you down for at least five seconds and take your necklace, I win."

Katsuya hopped off the wall he was on and continued to run slightly faster. "How am I gonna knock his sword out of his hand? He's basically forcing me to use my sword to at least defend myself." He turned a corner and then took a left. By this time, he heard Ren jump onto a wall and start to slowly jump from roof to roof.

"I won't use flash step because you can't use it. Generous, aren't I?"

Katsuya slowed his pace to conserve energy. He had to keep going, but he also needed to make sure he couldn't be seen by Ren. Since Ren had the high ground, he had the advantage, but he also had blind spots. If Katsuya could figure out where Ren was coming from, he could stand in one of Ren's blind spots and let him go ahead of him. Possibly get the jump on him. This was all if Ren didn't turn.

Katsuya looked at his surroundings. To his left was the way Ren would supposedly be coming, and to his right was a pathway. Katsuya took two rights and stood in the corner where the two walls met. He did his best to push his body as far into the corner as possible so he couldn't be seen. Katsuya needed to think about what he was going to do next.

_How am I going to knock his sword out of his hand? He's obviously stronger than I am… At least I don't have to actually defeat him. I'd probably be dead by now. Although, I'm sure he wouldn't exactly kill me._ Katsuya pondered on what he was going to do next. Was there really a way to get his sword out of his hands? _Maybe I need to focus on getting help instead of trying to do this now. Or maybe I could…_

Katsuya looked at the shaking sword in his hands. He could see his reflection pretty well in the sword. Being able to see this, he very slowly raised it up over the wall to see if he could see Ren hopping around anywhere. He needed to know where he was so he could put his miniature plan into action.

Ren was about ten walls away from where Katsuya stood. To his luck, he was looking the opposite way of Katsuya. Lowering the blade, he waited. To Katsuya's logic, if Ren was in front of him, then Ren would be at a disadvantage. Katsuya could take a different route and get more time for someone to come and save him.

_Nine. Eight. Seven. _Katsuya counted as Ren came closer to his position. He observed the pace he was going and counted accordingly. _Six. Five. _Katsuya could hear his heart beating faster and faster with every number he counted. _Four. Three. Two._ He put his left hand over his mouth to quiet his breathing. _One. … One. One, one? One! …_

"Zero." Ren said with curiosity.

Katsuya thought his heart skipped a couple beats when he heard this. His hand covered up his gasp slightly, but it was loud enough to escape through his fingers. He stayed perfectly still and kept his eyes on his sword. He saw Ren standing on the wall next to him. Many different actions popped into Katsuya's head. He wanted to run or just collapse there on sight, but he knew, by the looks of things, that he needed to stay put. Ren wasn't looking his way, so he still had a slight chance to escape without him seeing.

It was quiet for a few moments, but Katsuya noticed something that broke the silence. His sword was making a shaking noise. Even though it could go unnoticed, it was making some sound. _Can Ren hear this? _Katsuya thought to himself. He looked at the sword and quickly made a decision. Quietly and slowly, Katsuya bent down and carefully placed the sword on the concrete. He set it down in such a way that it sounded like the shaking noise faded away. When Katsuya was positive that the sword wouldn't move a centimeter, he stood up and waited. It was silent.

_Leave. Leave. Move. Please? _After what seemed like an hour, Katsuya heard movement.

"Negative one. Negative two…" Said Ren as he hopped away.

Katsuya let out a long sigh when Ren was out of earshot. He didn't realize that he was holding his breath until he sighed. The suspense somewhat excited him, but it was a bit much for him.

Since Ren was now in front of him, Katsuya started to go back toward Central 46 after picking his sword up. He planned to take a left when he reached the gates to find buildings. If he could get into a building, he could increase his chance of dragging the battle out. All he had to do was make sure he was in a spot that was far enough away from Ren, and close enough to the streets so someone could find him that wasn't Ren.

X

"Negative forty…. Five? Damn it, never mind." Ren looked around as he walked on the wall tops. Katsuya was nowhere in sight. Where could he be? Ren knew he couldn't have gotten too far. He was periodically changing directions, so he knew he would have seen him sometime.

Ren came to a small courtyard and stopped. He quickly glanced around the tree filled area and turned. He was getting heated and bored. He didn't really know why he was searching for Katsuya now. There was a chance he could go back to Central 46 and carry out his job while Katsuya hides in some building. He, however, felt the need to take care of him now. It irked him a bit.

Irritated, Ren started to take a path in a different direction. He jumped a few wall tops and stopped.

"Captain Kurosaki?" A voice from below him asked.

"Huh?" Ren looked down. It was a soul reaper on duty.

"What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Sokyoku Hill for the fair?"

Before Ren tried to speak, he made sure his voice matched Ichigo's. He knew he'd been using it ever since he was talking to Katsuya, but he wanted to make sure. Ren cleared his throat and spoke. "Oh, I was looking for one of the academy students. He wanted to see the Seireitei and started to leave when I tried to stop him. I couldn't convince him to go back so I ended up following him. We got split up and I'm trying to find him now. Have you seen him by any chance?"

"No. I haven't seen anyone besides you, sir."

"Hm… Well if you see a short, brown haired, kid-ish soul reaper with a necklace around his neck, bring him to me."

"Of course. Since I came from that way," The soul reaper pointed behind him. "I'll take this way. If I find him, you're the first person I'll report back to."

"Okay, thanks for the help." With this, the soul reaper walked off. Ren smiled. The only way Ren hadn't gone was in the direction the soul reaper went in, but since Katsuya wasn't seen in that area, there was only one way left that he could go. With a twisted smile, Ren went back toward Central 46. "Negative one fifty two. Negative one fifty one."

X

Katsuya closed the door silently behind him and looked at his surroundings. The building looked clean and recently used. The windows were closed though, making it hard to see. Katsuya wanted to open them, but knew he could be at risk of getting caught.

There were two doors and a stair way at the other end of the room he was in. Without bothering with the doors, he made his way up the staircase. The stairs wrapped around the interior of the building despite the size. The building was quite big on the outside, which was the reason Katsuya picked it in the first place.

As Katsuya ascended, he saw a door to his right. To his curiosity, he opened it, walked into the room, and closed the door behind him. He found that the room was spacious. There were only two doors, excluding the one he came in from. One door sat at the right of the entrance and the other on the left. There were two windows, both open, on the back wall with no shades or curtains to cover them. A desk rested in between the windows and had a clean top. Other than these, the room was basically empty.

Katsuya turned to his left and peeked into the closed door. The only thing he saw was darkness. Assuming nothing was in there, he closed the door and walked over to the other one. To his interest, this door led to another part of the building. He couldn't pass through though; because the hallway had too many windows and he didn't want to risk getting seen. Cracking the door, he looked around the room.

Making up his mind, Katsuya stationed himself under the window closest to the left door. He decided to wait in this room until he could conjure up a plan.

"I wish this would be like one of those clichés…" Katsuya sighed. _Okay let's review… I need to wait this out as long as possible. How am I going to do that though? Maybe if I'm lucky, I could sneak out of here and get back to Sokyoku Hill. Yeah that sounds really good! It'll be hard for him to find me and he couldn't do anything to me up there! Now how am I going to get out of here? I can't just walk through the front doors can I? What if he sees me? _

Making it his priority, he peeked over the bottom of the window. He wasn't very close to the hill. He'd have to sneak around a lot and hope for the best. It frightened him that he had no Idea where Ren was.

Katsuya sat back on the wall and sighed. He knew he needed to leave soon but he couldn't bring himself to move toward the door. He was never put into a situation like the one he was in now. Katsuya didn't know how to handle and manage at a time like this.

Katsuya looked down and noticed the sword in his hand. It surprised him. He had forgotten that he had it the whole time. "I need to get moving," Katsuya sighed. He held the sword in his right hand by its hilt. Looking in the swords shinny blade, Katsuya froze.

"Where ya goin'?" Ren said with a grin. Katsuya said nothing. Ren cocked his head to the side, his grin fading. Katsuya watched him carefully. "Why're you so afraid of me? You didn't use to be like that. Not at all. What happen to the good ol' days?" He sighed and continued. "The least you could do is respond… To tell you the truth, I don't want to do this more than you want to escape from here. Away from me… " Ren narrowed his eyes at Katsuya in the reflection of the sword. Katsuya still had a paralyzed look on his face. Ren came to hate that look. It didn't suit him at all.

Katsuya's mind whirled around. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't act irrationally, but he couldn't just stay put. He didn't really know why he was so scared of him, now that he thought about it momentarily. Ren was his best friend, but now he's the enemy. Was it because he took control of another friend's body? He couldn't figure it out. He didn't have time to figure it out.

Still paralyzed, more mentally than physically, Katsuya did something he soon regretted. It seemed to happen so fast, he didn't register it until he heard a loud thump and the clatter of his sword.

* * *

><p>~Well as the days go, I'm struggling to write this due to my lack of interest. I'm still going to upload chapters and stuff though, because I'm not just going to stop. If someone likes this fanfic and still does, I'll still put out chapters even if it is just one person. Sorry for the lack of updates.<p>

By the way, I don't remember how much I've read over this chapter, so I don't know if I've fixed everything. If something seems amiss, please don't hesitate to tell me in a PM or a review. Don't be mean about it though. ^-^;


	26. Chapter 26

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 26**

Unable to think, Katsuya made an attempt to escape. He made an effort to bolt to the door to temporary safety, but failed. Before he even got one foot in front of the other, he felt a tug at the back of his shihakusho. At this point in time, it felt like time slowed just for the moment. He felt weightless. That terrible sense of weightlessness. This feeling soon disappeared when pain surged through his body and a familiar sound of metal clattering pierced his ears.

Ren appeared in his line of vision moments later. He didn't look happy. Not even a smirk or even a normal expression marked his face. It looked more like pain. Katsuya had never seen this look on him. It was awkward though, because it was Ichigo's face instead of Ren's, but Katsuya always imagined Ren's face whenever he looked at him and he was in control.

Attempting to push away the wave of pain, Katsuya tried to register where he was. Looking at the surroundings and surface he landed on, he was outside on a roof. He assumed he was flung to another building's roof, or he was on top of the building he was once in. However, this really didn't matter at the time. He was more worried about Ren. He was slowly walking toward him. A few things flashed through his mind at this time and gave him motivation. Using everything he had, Katsuya pushed himself up and did a quick look around for his sword. When he found it, it was laying on the roof behind him, which was lower than the roof he was currently residing. Making up his mind, Katsuya stood up with much effort and made his way toward the edge of the roof.

Seeing this futile attempt, Ren stopped and observed. In a way, he wanted Katsuya to escape unhurt from him, but he knew that wasn't an option anymore. Ren had gotten himself in a bind by not taking care of Katsuya in the beginning and now he was paying for it. He had to admit that it was killing him to have to hurt Katuya. He started to question and second-guess himself. He wasn't happy. He didn't know if he was supposed to be. It didn't feel right.

By this time, Katsuya made the small jump to the other roof and successfully obtained his sword. He made a short glance over to Ren to see him spacing out. Using this time, Katsuya attempted to make his way back inside a building. He sped over to the edge of the roof he was on and looked down. There was a balcony right below him. This being here, Katsuya sat on the edge of the roof and scooted off the side, hoping that he would land unhurt.

When he landed, he nearly hit the rail. Katsuya hit the balcony with a heavy thump and fell to his knees. _I didn't stick the landing. _Katsuya thought to himself. He somehow landed wrong, resulting in his left ankle being hurt. Driven by the urge to escape, Katsuya got up and limped into the building as quickly as possible.

X

By the time Ren got out of his thoughts, Katsuya had disappeared. He had mixed feelings about the situation, but he knew he had to continue pursuing Katsuya until he found him again. As he looked and searched, he went over his options. _It would make more sense for me to just ditch the one sided fight and go into Central 46 myself and do what I need to do, but there would be a good chance that Katsuya might return to Sokyoku Hill and get his little buddies to help him stop me. Shu might not get here in time for the operation either…_ _This doesn't give me anymore options does it? _

Irritated, Ren hopped to the other roof and looked off of the edge. There was a balcony just below him. _There. _Ren jumped onto the balcony and scanned the room quickly. Only one door was open. This possibly being a sign that Katsuya was in the building, Ren ran through the doorway and looked for any signs of recent movement. Nothing seemed suspicious.

From here, all of the doors were shut. This led Ren to believe that Katsuya was using anything he had left to get away. _Sad…_ Ren went through a door to his right and it led to another room with two doors inside it. "You had to jump your ass in this building didn't you?" He made his way to a door to his right. It led to a hallway with two more doors at the end. "Such bull!"

Ren walked with purpose down to the doors and peaked in each one. They were just storage rooms to his luck. As he walked back, something came into his train of thought. _Why aren't I trying to search for his spiritual pressure? _It never crossed his mind before when looking for Katsuya. It was all pure luck. He remembered that this didn't work in the battle with Toshiro though. He, however, knew it had something to do with Ichigo. _Maybe this is a side effect to me just being in his body… It's either my senses are weakened while I'm in control or he's just lousy at searching for spiritual pressure and I've somehow inherited this trait… This hasn't happened before…_

While searching, Ren tried his best to search for Katsuya via spiritual pressure. He knew that his was weak because he was human, so it would be difficult to locate him. The block Ren had on his ability made it much more difficult to even detect it. It seemed as though it would be a waste of energy to keep searching due to the fact that Ren was actually straining to try and search for anyone's. In the end, he dropped it and wandered the building with a fast pace. _He couldn't have gotten far. He's hurt after all and not use to so much pain like he just experienced. I'd say there is a 50%, no 75% chance I'll find Katsuya soon. _Ren smiled and continued his search.

X

Katsuya was making his way toward Sokyoku Hill. He didn't have many options left, and he got really lucky when he entered the confusing building. Going into another building might buy him some time, but he knew that the time he would get would be wasted because he couldn't do anything that would actually benefit him. He needed to get close enough to Sokyoku Hill to ensure his safety.

As he limped along, he heard footsteps somewhere near him. He looked behind him but no one was there. Afraid that the person who belonged to the footsteps would discover him, he tried to walk normally. He didn't want to have to make an excuse for his limp.

At the end of the path way, there was an intersection. Whoever was on the other side of the wall would be seen there. There was probably a 50% chance that Katsuya would be seen, so he decided to continue and see the person.

When Katsuya reached the intersection, a soul reaper appeared from around the corner. The two stared at each other for a few moments and then the soul reaper broke the silence.

"What're you doing here?" The soul reaper asked.

"Um… I kind of got lost." Katsuya gave a nervous laugh. The soul reaper looked Katsuya over and then snapped.

"You must be that Academy student! I've been somewhat searching for you."

"Really?" Katsuya was surprised. He didn't know that people were searching for him. _Is this a stroke of luck? Will things finally turn in my favor? _Katsuya almost smiled. If someone cared enough to have people search for him, then most likely the soul reaper would take him back to Sokyoku Hill and he'd be safe.

"Yes. I have orders to take you back to Captain Kurosaki."

"What?" Katsuya stared blankly at him. The only thought going through his head was to escape. He had to figure out a way to trick the soul reaper.

"Captain Kurosaki." The soul reaper repeated, thinking Katsuya didn't hear him clearly. "I ran into him earlier and he told me that if I see a brown haired, kid-ish soul reaper with a necklace to take him directly back to him. You fit the bill so I have to take you to him."

"Do you even know where he is?"

"More or less. I can say confidently that he is in that direction." The soul reaper pointed past Katsuya.

"Oh… Well I can find him myself." Katsuya started to walk in the direction, hoping that the soul reaper would allow him to leave.

"No can do. You academy students are not permitted to roam the Seireitei. You're not supposed to even be here really, but the fair is going on. I'm sure Captain Kurosaki will let you off the hook though because he doesn't really know all of the rules and regulations so don't sweat it."

Katsuya started to panic. He didn't see a way out of the situation. He could jump the walls, but Ren might find him quicker. Katsuya could run, but he didn't know if the soul reaper knew flash step. It wasn't looking too good for him.

The soul reaper started to walk in Katsuya's direction. Trying to think quickly, Katsuya did the one thing he could actually do to fight back. With a running start, Katsuya head-butted the soul reaper and went the opposite way away from Ren. The soul reaper fell backwards, holding his head.

Not looking back, Katsuya kept his sights set on Sokyoku Hill. He was scared to even slow down. Katsuya didn't hit him as hard as he should have, which meant that the soul reaper would be coming after him shortly. He had to make a confusing distance between him and the soul reaper so he could somewhat relax.

After what seemed like ten minutes of running, Katsuya slowed down to a slow speed walk. He took this time to look behind him. It was clear. He let out a long belated sigh and continued forward. He was so close to the hill.

When Katsuya made it to the bottom of the hill, he started up the stairs. He was much slower than he thought he would be. He did have a limp, and he was slightly recovering from the surprise attacks of pain caused by Ren throwing him onto the roof. Katsuya had had enough. He was tired and in pain in more ways than one.

After ascending about ten steps, Katsuya heard a shout from behind him. _We're too close to the hill for bad stuff to happen! _Katsuya nearly screamed to himself.

"Bakudo number 1, Sai!" Katsuya turned around and tried to dodge but miserably failed. His arms flung behind him resulting in his sword falling into some bushes nearby and him falling himself. Since he was on the steps, Katsuya slide down them and rolled a couple times before coming to a stop at the soul reapers feet. The soul reaper looked at him with irritation.

"I was almost back to the fair! That's where I'm supposed to be anyway! Why can't I just go up and then you go find the captain and tell him where I am?" Katsuya pleaded.

The soul reaper pondered on the idea. It would be easier to leave him at the hill and go find the captain. It was a direct order, however; and he didn't want to disobey it. He also didn't know Ichigo well enough to gauge his punishment. Despite how close he was to Sokyoku Hill, he'd have to bring Katsuya back with him. "Can't do that. It was a direct order and I have no intensions of getting in trouble because an academy student tried to slip away."

"But-"

"Nothing." The soul reaper picked Katsuya up and put him under his right arm. He then started back toward Ren. Katsuya kicked and tried to get himself loose, but the soul reaper had a tight hold on him. "Stop moving!" The soul reaper shouted.

"I'll stop when you let me go!" Katsuya glared at him. It didn't seem to have an effect.

Irritated, the soul reaper flicked Katsuya, which earned him a bite in return. "What the hell, man?"

In response, Katsuya stuck his tongue out. The soul reaper eyed him and gave a rough sigh. "I'm pretty sure Captain Kurosaki can manage if you're out." With these words, the soul reaper quickly striked the back of Katsuya's neck, knocking him out.

X

"Captain Kurosaki!" The soul reaper yelled when he finally found him.

"So you found him." He said with interest and slight distaste. He didn't like how the soul reaper presented Katsuya to him.

"He was kind of giving me trouble, and this was the only way I could get him here to you." The soul reaper placed Katsuya on the roof the two were standing on. "I found him near Sokyoku Hill. Well, to be more precise, I found him on the stairs to Sokyoku Hill. If I was a few minutes later, I would have lost him."

_He was that close to Sokyoku Hill? _Ren nearly smiled. _I was so close to losing him. I would have had a 20% chance, no maybe less than that, of finding him if this soul reaper didn't find me earlier. How lucky am I? _"Um…" Ren pointed to Katsuya. "You used a spell on him?"

"Oh yeah. Like I said." The soul reaper did a quick motion with his hand and the Bakudo vanished, resulting in Katsuya's arms falling to his sides. "I was debating on whether or not to let him go back to the fair. I wanted to let him go, but you gave me direct orders to bring him back to you, and I didn't want to disobey it."

"You could have let him go." Ren said reluctantly, trying to make himself sound more convincing. "But this is… um… okay I guess."

"He should wake up soon… Sorry for the inconvenience Captain!"

"No it's fine!" He held his hands up in a way to make them look like an X. The soul reaper bowed deeply and waited. "You can go back to your work now." Ren said.

"Yes Sir!"

After watching the soul reaper leave, Ren looked at the unconscious Katsuya before him and frowned. Somewhat disgusted, Ren went about a yard away from him and laid on his side to where he wasn't facing him. _I guess this is why people should do things now instead of later. Might as well wait until he wakes up. Or I could wake him up… Tch._

A few minutes passed and Katsuya twitched. He then opened his eyes to see Ren in his face. "Good morning." Ren greeted sarcastically. Katsuya gave him a tired and a somewhat sad look. He knew it wasn't Ichigo.

It was quiet for a while after Ren sat back on his heels, but Katsuya broke the silence afterward. "I'm done." He almost whispered. "I really have to give you and Ichigo and all of the others credit, because my spirit was broken after something that seems so small to you guys. Then again I'm only 13." He paused. Ren didn't speak. "Go ahead and do what you have to do. I'm pretty sure I can't manage to even get away and actually escape right now anyway."

With no words, Ren picked Katsuya up and put him under his right arm. Katsuya didn't seem to care. _This was not my intention at all. _Ren thought.

Ren walked in silence. It seemed awkward to him. He felt like he was doing something extremely wrong. He knew that he didn't really have to do this, but he felt possessed. Ren already knew the outcome of disobeying to the extent he can. He knew this was definitely not the time to be attempting it either. He was so close for this whole ordeal to be over. Now that he was thinking about it, he didn't like the outcome if Shu came out victorious. Everything seemed to click into place now that he was thinking about it more.

After jumping roofs and walking at a steady pace in silence, Katsuya broke it. "I really didn't know it would turn out like this." He started. Ren glanced down at him for a second. "If I really took it seriously, Ichigo, you, me… We probably wouldn't be here right now. It seems like I ruined it for everyone. If I stuck to the plan and didn't trail off like I did so many times, this would be over. My childish ways brought this horrible situation before me. I can't help it though can I?" Katsuya paused as if waiting for Ren to answer, but started up again a few moments later. "It really has to come to this? Does it? My best friend being the enemy? I wouldn't have thought that was even possible. I don't feel a bond toward you like I did before this happened. But, I wonder…" Katsuya paused yet again, but used this time to look up at Ren, who met his eyes. "Do you still consider me as your best friend? Are we… still best friends?" He had a glimmer of hope on the edge of his eyes when he spoke these words. This really made Ren think, and yet he said the words easily while holding Katsuya's gaze.

"Yeah." He broke the stare and left the conversation with that.

* * *

><p>I didn't really know how to end this chapter. I felt like this one needed to end here. I attempted to make it heart felt. Wonder if that worked…<p>

~This is probably one of my shortest chapter. I'm sorry that there have been two full chapters of only Oc action. Next chapter should be different. Also: I think I **might** be shortening the chapters to about 1,000-3,000 words instead of my usual 3,000+ words. You guys have to tell me if you like them longer or shorter starting with Chapter 27. If you don't, and I keep doing shorter/longer chapters, then I can't really do anything because I don't know what you guys want and I can't read your mind.


	27. Chapter 27

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 27**

After a while of walking on roof tops, Ren could see the top of Central 46. He didn't realize just how far he chased Katsuya away until now. Stopping, Ren looked up. It looked like the sun was getting ready to set. He had definitely lost track of time. Without interest, Ren continued walking. He was really getting bored.

Katsuya gave a silent sigh as Ren carried him. He had dozed off a few times. He was tired and also determined, but not for the better. He knew that if he was asleep, or at least half asleep, he could forget about what was happening before him now. Katsuya didn't know what was going to happen when everything started to go into Ren and Shu's favor, but he'd rather not see it if he had a choice.

After a few more minutes of miserable silence, something flashed across Katsuya's mind that got him out of his surrender. It could possibly be his last hope. He didn't exhaust all of his options just yet. This, however, would be the last chance he had at turning the event around. Without over thinking or under thinking the idea, Katsuya put it into action.

"Ichigo…" Katsuya nearly whispered. Ren looked at him, but kept walking. "Ichigo, I know you're still there, and you've been awfully quiet. I don't know how this works, but it shouldn't be hard to win back your _own_ body." When Katsuya said this, Ren knew what he was trying to do.

"Using your last hope are ya'? Ren reached out to cover Katsuya's mouth but he was too late. He stopped.

"Ichigo." Katsuya said with more courage. He was caught off guard when he started stumbling.

"…Yeah?" Ichigo forced out. Clumsily, Ichigo set Katsuya down. He just managed to claw his way up and out.

"Is that really you?" Katsuya asked, looking into Ichigo's face. He looked more drained than a few minutes ago.

"Yeah."

Katsuya gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness!" He was happy his attempt worked. He got lucky.

Ichigo looked into Katsuya's eyes. "We don't have that much time." He felt a headache coming on and put his hand on his head. "Go back to Sokyoku Hill."

Katsuya frowned. "I've tried. Ren has a soul reaper on his side that's patrolling the Seireitei. If I run into him again, he'll bring me back to you."

Ichigo scowled at the ground and sighed. "You'll have to sneak around then."

Katsuya's frown deepened. "You don't remember?" Ichigo looked at him again, confused.

"I've tried almost everything I can think of to get back to Sokyoku Hill. I've ran, hid, and even made small plans to get back to Sokyoku Hill safely, but all of my attempts have failed. That's why I'm here now."

Ichigo looked to his right and saw a building he wasn't too familiar with. Since he was facing that way when he came to, he assumed they were on their way there. Turning around, Ichigo started to walk away from the building. Katsuya followed him instinctively.

"I'm not sure why, but even though I'm trying-" He paused mid-sentence. After a few moments he picked back up where he left off. "I don't think I can stay in control for much longer. Since this is all I can do, I'll try to get as far away from this place as possible." Ichigo glanced over at Katsuya. "What's with the look?"

"Huh?"

"You're frowning." Ichigo picked up his pace. "I'll be fine." Ichigo could feel Ren trying to claw his way back out. He knew Ren didn't want to leave this place after being so close to it.

Katsuya looked away from him. "What happened?" He asked.

Trying to think of what he was referring to, Ichigo said "I don't really know. I remember everything up to sitting down next to you after speaking with Zangetsu." A pause. "The next thing I knew, I was sitting in my inner world, wondering what happened. My hollow wasn't moving and Zangetsu was asking me questions. I couldn't hear him and I was dizzy by the time I heard him shout my name. After that, nothing. I woke up just a few minutes ago and heard you. I feel weak right now and I don't know how long I can hold out." He sighed. Katsuya was nearly running trying to keep up with Ichigo. He was speeding up for some reason.

Katsuya noticed that this was different. Out of all of the times Ren took over Ichigo, someone or something stopped him before Ichigo could regain control of his body. This was the only time Ichigo got his body back on his own. It didn't seem like he could keep himself in control for long though. Ichigo did have a tolerance level of 4. If the level was lower, Ichigo would most likely be able to keep himself in control for much longer. To Katsuya, Ichigo was lucky to be conscious and in control now.

After nearly running for a few minutes, Ichigo slowed down to a stop. Katsuya almost ran past him.

"I can't…. keep going…" Ichigo panted. Keeping his hollow at bay during a fight was a lot easier than trying to stay in control while Ren was trying to regain control. It was tiring and he was already weak for some reason. "Go back to Sokyoku Hill."

Not noticing where they were, Katsuya saw that Sokyoku Hill was fairly close. Ichigo had sped over to the hill without him realizing it. Ichigo tried to keep his distance from the hill though because if something were to happen, they would attract a lot of attention

"What about you?"

"I'll try to… go the opposite way of you." He felt himself being sucked back into his inner world.

"I thought you said you couldn't go on."

Ichigo wasn't in the mood for Katsuya's silliness, but he tried his best to give him a smirk and say "Shutup, you know what I mean," to reassure him.

Before leaving, Katsuya gave Ichigo a sad last look. He didn't know what was going to happen after he started toward the hill. Ichigo looked pretty beat up too, which made him worry even more. _He's not going to be okay…_ Katsuya thought.

Breaking his stare, Katsuya booked it toward Sokyoku Hill. He had to shift his focus to getting help from the little group they had that was 'in the loop'.

After a few seconds of running, Katsuya heard a loud thud and a crash from behind him. He whirled around. "Renji!" Katsuya shouted with hope.

Turning around, he said "Katsuya? What happened?" After taking a look at what he did to Ichigo, he ran over to the boy. "Are you okay?"

"I… yeah…" Katsuya said. He sounded upset.

"Hey! Hey! Don't start crying now!"

"I'm not going to cry… I'm just really happy to see you."

"… You don't seem like it." Katsuya gave him a miserable look and Renji backed off slightly. "Don't give me that look. It doesn't suit you. Be a man." Katsuya looked in the direction that Renji was standing.

"What happened?"

Renji put his hands on his hips. "In short, he asked me to hit him. Felt good too. Sometimes, I really want to do it to him, but for obvious reasons, I can't." His attempt to make Katsuya smirk failed.

"So what now?" This caught Renji off guard. What next? It was obvious to him: fight Ren. After that, then what? He didn't know. They couldn't just take him back to his office like they did before and have Hanataro patch him up again, could they? It didn't seem like the right thing to do.

After a short pause, Renji replied. "We go forward." He received a confused look from Katsuya. "All we can do is take what is thrown at us and go from there."

"If that's what we're going to do…" Katsuya gave a deep sigh and forced a serious face. "I might have an idea."

"Let's hear it."

"Ichigo is still in there. Even with his limited time, he still can hear us. I'm not 100% sure if he will hear us clearly, but I know our voices can reach him. If you can get his attention, then you will have time to get Ren."

"Sounds good. I can screw with Ichigo a bit more." He cracked his knuckles with pleasure.

"I'm not finished." Renji raised a brow. "Before you do this, however, you need to make him use his power."

"I thought that was the thing we needed to avoid the most."

"It is, but when he uses his power, his necklace appears on Ichigo's body. If you can get him to use his real power, and then start to turn your attention to Ichigo, I can use this and stop him." Katsuya held up a charm he had in his pocket.

"What will that do?"

"This was made just in case Ren went out of control. We needed a way for us to be able to stop him if something were to go wrong, so Shu created this. There are only two of these in existence. If I use this on his necklace, he will stop. This is the only way I see us getting out of this situation without totally injuring one another. Yes, you could make him summon his power and then rip the necklace off, but then he'll only just come back some other time. This charm won't mean that he won't show up again, but it will keep him out of our hair long enough to get what needs to be sorted out done."

"Oh... So basically I have to somehow force him to use his real power and then distract _Ichigo_ while you use the charm on Ren's necklace while making sure I don't take his necklace off?"

"Pretty much. To be more specific in the way I want you to do this, I want you to do what I did with Ichigo a few days ago. You remember?"

"Yeah. But wouldn't that only bring his personality out and not the real him?"

"Technically yes, but if you seriously bite down on something that will tear the real Ichigo apart, then he will come out if he's listening. You'll know when you've got him out. Pay close attention to his behavior during this time."

"Okay, got it."

"But back to what we were discussing, I have to be close by so I can use the charm on him."

"Wait a second. It might be too dangerous for you. Let me do it." Renji held his hand out expecting Katsuya to listen. Instead of listening, Katsuya held it protectively. "This isn't really the time for that." Renji sighed.

"I'll do it. Don't worry. You'll be busy holding him anyway. You won't have time to grab it and use it. You don't even know how it works." Katsuya pointed out. Renji sighed. He didn't want him to get involved anymore. He looked stressed out and tired.

"Fine." Renji agreed reluctantly. "Just make sure you stay away until I give you a signal to come over."

"Okay." Katsuya looked past Renji to see how Ichigo or Ren was doing. The wall where he landed was a pile of rubble, but there was no sign of him. Katsuya quickly looked around himself but Ren was nowhere to be found. "Where'd he-"

"Over there." Renji said bitterly. He pointed to the building beside them. Assuming it wasn't Ichigo, Ren was sitting on the roof and appeared to be lounging. He gave his signature smile that he always gave when a battle was about to break out. Renji scoffed at the smile but Katsuya slightly frowned. He knew that behind his grin was sadness.

"Yo!" He waved. He received a glare from Renji. "Hey, I know you don't like or approve of what I'm doing but I kind of have no choice at the moment."

"Don't give me that!" Renji retorted, "There's always another choice. You just choose not to take it."

Ren and Renji's eyes met for a few moments, both of them holding one another's gaze. Confused, Katsuya could only look between the two and assume that some type of message was being sent between them. Breaking the semi-awkward silence, Ren spoke. "I suppose you want to stop me, yes? Is there another way to do it besides physical violence?"

"Not unless you're gonna drop what you're doing and give up."

"Thought so." Ren stood up. He stretched and looked behind him. Central 46 was a good ways away from his position. He frowned in that direction.

"Katsuya," Renji turned to the pre-teen, "Stay here."

"But-" Katsuya was cut off by Renji whispering something in his ear. Katsuya responded. This exchange happened quite quickly and barely caught Ren's attention.

"Let's move to a different location." Renji told him.

"Sure." Ren said without hesitation. The closer they got to Central 46 the better. He was so close before this happened.

Renji looked back at Katsuya and gave him a reassuring smile which had little to no affect. Katsuya still gave him a smile in return and took a step or two forward. After this, Renji flash stepped away in the direction of Central 46. Ren followed suit after stealing a glance at Katsuya who was staring at him.

X

Renji landed in a courtyard after careful consideration of where he wanted the battle to take place. The courtyard looked like a small park. It had a small stone fountain that was squirting water out of the highest level of the structure. The courtyard had clean stone walkways and healthy looking grass growing in different areas of the yard. It was a nice spot to lounge around, but not for a battle. It was big enough to Renji and he didn't seem to care if this place was destroyed.

He looked behind him to see if Ren was there but he was nowhere in sight. Renji wondered if he completely ditched and went for whatever he was looking for, but he soon appeared and did a quick look around.

"Why such a nice place?" He asked innocently. He was using his own voice and it sounded weird to Renji.

"No reason." Renji slightly lied. He did have a reason. He needed this place to be far enough from Sokyoku Hill so the soul reapers would not see the commotion. This place was the first place that caught his eye but he didn't mean to pick a place as nice as this. He sighed, looking at Ren.

Ren sat down on a bench near them and crossed his legs, resting his right leg over his left. He threw his right arm over the back of the bench and looked up. This slightly irritated Renji. Ren looked like beating him would be easy. He had to admit though, the fight would be hard for him because he had to try not to hurt Ichigo's body too badly.

"So I suppose…" Ren looked at Renji, "we really have to fight."

Renji looked at him, puzzled. Ren kept repeating himself. He didn't know if he was trying to insinuate something or if he was just too lazy to fight. Either way, he seemed to be trying to avoid it. "Not unless you're going to drop you're plan and leave."

Ren gave a loud sigh. "Fine. We'll have it your way."

Renji unsheathed his sword. He knew he had to be ready for Ren's attacks. Since he was using Ichigo's power as support, he would be much harder to defeat.

Ren summoned a sword in his right hand and gave Renji a bored look but still managed a battle smile. He stood up and took a few steps toward Renji but stopped. "Almost forgot," he started, "hold up a sec." Ren transferred his sword to his left hand and walked past Renji.

Renji gave him a confused look. He watched Ren walk to the center of the courtyard while grabbing at the air. Whatever he had in his hand appeared when he shoved it into the ground. It was a sword. This sword was similar to the one that was in his left hand. Nothing looked out of the ordinary about it.

"What was that for?" He asked. Before Ren could answer him, he remembered. Katsuya had told him about it vaguely earlier.

"Wait for it…" Ren snapped his fingers and the sword started to glow red. This glow intensified and shot a beam of red light up into the air. When it reached a certain height, it spread out around the area and then vanished. The sword was faintly glowing a diluted red color by this time. Renji couldn't see where the ends of the barrier were, but he hoped that Katsuya got in range of it before it locked them in.

"Here's the general run down of what I just did. Even if you've heard it before you'll hear it again because I don't want any questions about it later." Ren started blandly. "This cuts all connections from the outside world, meaning that whoever is outside of the barrier cannot communicate to those inside. The people outside cannot see us while we are in the barrier either but we can see them. They can be hurt if we hit them as well. This area is invisible to those outside which means that they can't see any damage done to this place until the barrier is taken down. This doesn't mean that the area is completely gone from the outside residence. It is still there, but everything is invisible so to say. The space we are in now cannot be left until I am either unconscious, dead, or decide to pull it out. Any questions?" Ren seemed to have this explanation planned out because he didn't seem to breathe until he spoke his last word.

Renji shook his head. He got the gist of it. He had nowhere to run and no one could come to his rescue. "Okay," Renji said, "anything else?"

Ren gave a carefree "Nope." And put his sword back into his right hand. They were both ready to begin.

X

Katsuya started toward the direction Renji and Ren went. He felt like he was close to them but he couldn't see them and since he couldn't sense spiritual pressure, Katsuya went on instinct.

Katsuya had to travel on the ground if he wanted to catch up to them. The buildings were starting to get farther apart and Katsuya couldn't jump that far. As he jogged through the area, he saw a very light red light in the sky. This alerted him and made him start to run. _I have to make sure I get in there or it won't be a good day for Renji. _

Katsuya saw the barrier start coming down and he attempted to go top speed. He was so close to being in it, although he could barely tell if he was actually in the barrier or not. Despite this, he kept running in hopes he'd be able to make it.

Making one last effort to get into the barrier, Katsuya sprinted and dove toward the barrier. After he landed on his stomach, Katsuya quickly turned to where he could look up. The barrier touched down right by his feet, which made him curl them closer to him, and he gave a sigh. Katsuya then watched the force field vanish.

"Almost didn't make it!" Katsuya fixed himself into a sitting position and sat there for a moment. He was happy he made it, but now he had to worry about finding Ren and Renji in time. If he didn't get there when Renji needed him, the plan could turn into a disaster.

Katsuya slapped himself lightly on his cheeks and took a deep breath. He still had work to do and needed to get going.

Standing, Katsuya started to walk toward the sound of clashing swords. As he did this, something caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He turned to his right to see what it was, but whatever caught his attention was gone. Shrugging, Katsuya continued on his way.

* * *

><p>Not too much to say about this chapter.I'll most likely be trying to finish this Fanfiction up soon because I'm on break. This doesn't mean I'm going to rap it up quickly and basically make everyone die. (Friends have told me to do this a lot, but I'm not giving up on you guys.) I'm not making any promises, but An Unexpected Turnout should be done before August. I've had this fanfiction incomplete for too long.<p>

Review please!


	28. Chapter 28

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 28**

Renji blocked as Ren came at him. Ren was very persistent and Renji hadn't landed a single blow on him at all. This, however, went the same for Ren. All they had been doing was hitting each other's sword and blocking. At the moment, they seemed well matched.

Ren jumped out of range when Renji slashed at him. Renji followed him and tried again resulting in Ren blocking. When Renji administered his final swing before they broke apart, he heard a crack.

When the two jumped away from each other, Ren tilted his head to the right slightly. Renji lightened his guard for a moment. "You know," Ren started, "I haven't said this yet but let's make a little bet." Renji looked at him with little curiosity. "If I win, you have to… let me do what I came here to do and actually help us ki-"

"No thanks." Renji said bluntly, cutting Ren off. He had no intentions of making a deal with Ren of that caliber. He knew where the bet was going to go and he didn't like how it would end if he lost to Ren. He'd be marked as a traitor and be hunted down like Ichigo and his group was when they first came to the Soul Society to save Rukia.

"Really?" Ren asked baffled. People usually accepted Ren's bets and it confused him when Renji didn't even let him finish his offer.

"Yeah." Renji's tone sounded unsure and made Ren raise a brow. He could see that Renji was thinking about it. _This could work in my favor… _Renji thought to himself. _If I can get him to agree to my terms, then I might be able to get him to summon his true power and make the necklace appear around his neck._ "On second thought… how about this," Ren listened attentively. "If I can get a scratch on you, you have to use your shikai, but if you can get a scratch on me, I won't use mine."

Ren barely thought about this offer. It was a win win for him both ways. If he did get a scratch on Renji, Renji would be completely weakened and it would be an easy victory for himself. If Renji got a scratch on him, Ren would have to use his power earlier than expected, but it wouldn't affect the battle too badly, or so he thought. Ren knew there was a motive to Renji's request, but the offer was leaning toward his favor, which he couldn't pass up.

"Deal." Ren smiled. Renji, surprisingly, had the same grin Ren did once the deal was confirmed, but since they were both smiling at each other, they both stopped due to obvious reasons.

Renji started toward Ren this time, keeping his guard up. He raised his sword and came down on Ren's. There was a creaking noise when the two swords made contact. They both looked at their blades, confused. Ren, however, spotted the problem before Renji did, but it was too late. Ren's blade snapped in half and disintegrated, leaving him wide open for attack. Renji didn't take this opening though due to the fact that he was as shocked as Ren was over his sword.

"Tch!" Ren made some distance between Renji and himself when he finally snapped out of his shock. He glared at his hand like it had slapped him hard, and then summoned another sword. _What the hell was that?_ Ren thought. _That's not normal…_ Ren thought back to when he battled Toshiro before and up to now. Nothing similar to this happened aside from his swords disintegrating near the end of his battle with Toshiro. This was only because he had depleted his strength though. He ran through all of the factors.

Renji thought for a moment. He didn't remember Katsuya telling him about this. Nothing too similar. Was the sword just weak? If it was, then how could it have nearly killed Toshiro? There was something more to it than what he was thinking. He'd have to continue thinking about it as they fought to completely understand it. Hopefully this occurrence would continue so he could grasp what was happening.

Ren looked at Renji. "Stay focused."

Renji met his stare. "Oh I will." With this, Renji and Ren started for each other again. Ren made quick stabbing motions with his sword to Renji's head. None of them made contact, but every time when one was close, Renji would block. Ren paid attention to how each sword clash felt.

Renji blocked and pushed Ren's sword away from his face, nearly twisting it out of his hand. Renji stepped back and came in for a blow aimed at Ren's shoulder. Ren noticed this and quickly rolled out of the way. He stood up and examined his sword for a brief moment before Renji could notice. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

_Twenty three…_ Renji thought. _I need to keep it coming._ Renji charged at Ren again and Ren blocked instinctively. _Twenty four… _They both pushed one another's sword back until another crack could be heard. Noticing this, Renji quickly broke away from Ren's sword and hit it again, breaking it. _Twenty five._

With this opening, Renji slashed at Ren but it was stopped short by Ren's blade. _He must have summoned a new one. His reaction time is good. At least I know that his sword can take twenty five hits before it breaks. Right after the crack it'll break. Now I have to figure out how I can use this to my advantage. If I'm not careful, he'll end up hitting me._

Ren smiled. "It seems like Ichigo's body is getting use to summoning my swords. Took long enough…" Ren pushed up on Renji's sword, trying to create an opening for himself. Seeing this, Renji started to push back down. When it seemed like they weren't going to get anywhere, Renji raised his leg and kicked him, making him slide a good ways away from Renji.

When Ren finally stopped sliding, he stood up straight and transferred his sword to his left hand. He left it there for a moment and then put it back in his right hand. Renji found this odd but thought nothing of it. Instead, he came charging right back at Ren.

The red haired captain swung at Ren, but was stopped short by Ren's hand. He had grabbed Renji's arm while making sure he didn't get hit himself. Renji pulled against his grasp but to no avail. Ren smiled in his face. "Let's take this to the air, shall we?" With this being said, Ren threw Renji into the air and quickly followed.

Renji flipped and got his footing. He was surprised that Ren could move him with one hand, let alone throw him. He didn't have too long to be surprised though, because Ren was ready to continue his attack.

Ren slashed at Renji's sword quickly as Renji tried to count the strikes. He felt like he missed on or two but as long as he wasn't way off, he thought he was fine. When the two broke apart, there was a split second opening for Renji to act upon and win their little bet. Quickly, Renji held his arm out and prayed that what he was attempting would work. "Hado number 31…" Renji's hand started glowing red. "Shakkaho!" Before the blast hit, Renji could see Ren's eyes widen. He was caught off guard.

When the blast hit, a red tented smoke consumed Ren. Renji took a few steps back as he watched the scene. He felt like the blast truly hit, but he needed to confirm his feeling by actually seeing a hurt Ren. After moments of no sign, Ren clawed his way out of the smoke. He was hit. "Well that went well," Ren coughed. There was a small scratch on his arm where he tried to block the blast. He had temporarily forgotten about trying not to get hit.

"You forgot to dodge." Renji mocked. Renji let his guard down slightly. "I finally got a hit. It took a while but hey, it worked out in the end." He could see Ren twitch. It seemed different somehow. Like it was someone else's action.

"Fine then." Ren started. "You win that little bet." He took a deep breath and held his sword in front of him. It started to glow but abruptly stopped. Ren blinked. Renji tilted his head to the side slightly and looked past Ren. He saw something light up behind him and he was trying to figure out what it was. Ren saw this and looked behind himself. "Well that makes sense…" Ren started toward something on the ground. The two were quite high in the air and many objects looked small if not unreadable.

When Ren got closer, he confirmed his suspicion. He kneeled and picked up his other sword he dropped near the very beginning of the battle. "Okay. I understand what has been happening." He looked up at Renji, who was lowering himself to the ground, and said "Hold up…"

Ren walked over to the sword he placed in the ground at the start of the battle and put his hand on the hilt. Renji gave him a confused look. If he took the sword out, the battle would be revealed to everyone. Was that his plan? Then again, what would he gain in ending the battle? _He's probably doing something else… _Renji thought.

Putting down the other two swords, Ren took another deep breath. After this, all of the swords started to glow brightly and then disappeared, aside from the one in his grasp. _My sword kept breaking because there were others present that I forgot about. Katsuya's, and the one that Pineapple knocked out of my hand in the beginning of the battle. I released the one I had during that cat and mouse chase with Katsuya at some point but completely forgot about his. That gave me four total swords summoned… It makes sense seeming that my swords, when I'm not in Shikai, have a limit instead of my actual Shikai. Funny how I'm slightly limited with my weakest form... _ Ren thought while standing up and turning to Renji.

"What was that?" Renji questioned.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

Renji scoffed. "Fine then. I'm sure it doesn't matter anyway." He paused. Ren picked up on the quick pause and replied.

"You're right. Our bet is more important than that. Let's start the real action now, shall we?"

"Yeah. I was getting tired of this warm up."

Ren made his way over to Renji and stopped about three yards away from him. "Manifest… " Ren commanded. At this point, Zangetsu was starting to disappear from his back and the necklace Renji heard so much about was appearing around his neck, as well as his eyes turning a hollowfied gold and black.

Renji gave a battle smile. "Roar, Zabimaru." He hovered his hand over his blade and slid it to the tip, seeming to change it into his shikai, Zabimaru. Ren looked slightly impressed, which didn't go unnoticed by Renji. "Now, let's see what you've got!"

"With pleasure." Ren said, cracking his knuckles. "Let the chaos begin."

X

Katsuya walked around aimlessly for a while. He could hear Renji and Ren's battle from where he stood, but he couldn't seem to find their exact location. He could only go by the sound, which kept getting louder with every step. Sometimes, however, the sound would completely stop, leaving Katsuya to make wrong turns and get him farther away from the action.

"I can't seem to find them anywhere! What if this silence means that Renji caught Ren and is yelling for me to end the battle? What if Ren laid him out and is laughing like a maniac because he did so and is about to let down the barrier and is going back to Central 46 and-" Katsuya shut himself up. He was making himself paranoid. The barrier was not fading away and the silence could mean something else. He needed to focus.

Katsuya turned to the right. He then took a left. Another right. Kept straight. Took another right. Left. Another left. Straight. Stop.

He looked up at the building his path led him to. It looked like another storage building. He continuously ran into these and paid them no mind. He went in a few to see if he could spot the battle but none of them helped him. What would make this one different? _Nothing._ Katsuya thought.

The clashing of swords started back up again, or so he thought. The noise didn't really sound like two metal swords hitting one another. It sounded more like some other object hitting a metal sword. Like fists. Katsuya knew what that meant. Ren was now using his shikai.

For some reason, Ren was always bare handed when he used his shikai. If there was a sword in his hand when he used his shikai, it would vanish and he'd be left with nothing to defend himself with besides his fists. It really seemed like he would be quitting the battle but that wasn't the case. His sword or swords would always disappear. Katsuya nor Shu knew why this was, and the only theory Shu could come up with was that Ren's process in summoning his shikai and possible bankai were messed up in a way. It was like his normal 'standard form' was his shikai and the beginning of his shikai was his 'standard form' while the middle and end of his shikai was slightly like a bankai. Ren could do multiple things with his shikai which was either stronger or weaker than other attacks he knew. Shu theorized that this was so because Ren was created.

Katsuya contemplated on whether or not he should enter the building or keep walking toward the noise, which was pretty loud from where he was standing. "Maybe if there's a balcony…" Katsuya opened the door to the storage building and stepped in, closing the door behind him.

Inside, there were boxes neatly stacked on and near one another. Some had papers taped on them and others had nothing. Interested, Katsuya walked over to one of the boxes and knelt down to where he could read the paper on the box. The one in particular paper he read said that the box contained twenty stacks of paper that had two hundred pages in each stack. He assumed the soul reapers were doing inventory. He took a peak at the other boxes and read their labels. Some had pens and others staplers.

Breaking away from this distraction, Katsuya headed toward the stairs in the building. He made an effort to be quiet as he ascended into the building, but he was in a hurry. At any moment, Renji could call for him and if he wasn't there, he'd most likely put Renji in danger.

Katsuya peeked in each room he past, making sure he didn't miss a room that had a balcony in it. If there was a door that he plainly saw that faced the back of the building, he'd run over to it and open it. Majority of the time, Katsuya would strike out.

When Katsuya made it to the back of the building, he saw his final room. If this door didn't contain a balcony, then he'd have to start his search again to find a way to Renji. Quickly but quietly, Katsuya opened the door. This room was barren and only had boxes stacked on every wall. Some were obviously thrown in the room and never properly put in its correct spot. Toward the back of the room, there was a door by its self. Katsuya could hear the fight almost clearly from this room.

Katsuya walked toward the door. He saw that there was a dim light coming from under this door and concluded that behind it would be a balcony. Just what he was looking for. As he reached for the handle, he paused. There were many types of designs for a balcony. Some had high bars and some have low. Some didn't even have bars at all. Some balconies just had plan wood instead of the bars. If the balcony had the bars, he would be easily spotted from the ground. His cover would be blown and he would probably be attacked, which he highly doubted. From what he knew, Ren didn't know he was in the force field. He stood at the door for a minute as he heard the banging and clanging of Ren's fists on Renji's sword.

Making up his mind, Katsuya got on both knees and slowly opened the door. Peeking out, Katsuya saw that there were bars on the balcony. He sighed. From his vantage point, however, he could see the battle. Renji was lying on his back as Ren stood, staring at him. He could barely make out the words that Renji and Ren were saying.

"Thought it would be easy fighting me with your zanpakuto right? I get that a lot." Ren cracked his knuckles. "Just because I'm bare handed doesn't mean I'm terribly disabled." Katsuya saw Renji look up at Ren.

"I haven't underestimated you if that's what you're trying to say. I haven't either. I already knew this wasn't going to be a walk in the park." As Renji moved to sit up, Katsuya saw Renji glance over at him. He didn't make any sudden gestures, but played it off as though he didn't see him. Katsuya knew that Renji did though.

As their conversation went on, Katsuya looked for a way to get closer to the battle. He needed to be on the ground, but he also needed to be hidden and in a safe place. Scanning the courtyard, Katsuya spotted the entrance. Beside this entrance were thick bushes. He deemed this a better spot to wait out the battle than any other spot and mapped his route out. Since one of the entrances was to his right, Katsuya had to remember to take a left out of the building. Taking one last glance at Renji, Katsuya gave a small wave and closed the door.

Katsuya quickly ran out of the room he was in and started to make his way down the hallway. When he arrived at the stairs, he skipped a few steps and landed at the bottom, making a loud thump when he hit the ground floor. Katsuya then made his way toward the front door. He opened it, walked out, and closed it behind himself.

X

Renji sat up while quickly glancing over to see Katsuya close the door behind him. He was relieved to see that Katsuya made it to them. Renji assumed that Katsuya was coming down so he needed to finish the battle quickly. Seeing Katsuya also reminded him that he needed to get Ichigo's attention. If he didn't see him, Renji would have most likely kept fighting Ren.

"You don't seem to realize…" Ren stopped. Renji was laughing. "What's funny?"

"Ichigo's such a fool." Renji said, his tone serious.

"Hm?"

"He gets too comfortable sometimes. He's supposed to have his guard up at a time like this. He sees a party with human world entertainment and he thinks it's okay to relax. Humans are so easy to trick. "

Ren knew what Renji was trying to accomplish by saying this. He was getting tired of having to deal with this. Ren couldn't help but scoffed and glare, but not on his own accord.

Renji quickly thought back to how Katsuya did this. He remembered in his explanation that he first referred to, in the other case, Ren and then treated Ichigo like he was Ren after he got a response. He used something that would normally get a reaction out of him to start off. Thinking he started out right, Renji kept going.

"He's too reckless. No matter what he thinks, right now he's in a battle. His guard is too low. No wonder why he can't even keep his hollow at bay. It's pathetic."

"Shut up…" Ren said. Renji noticed how forced his words sounded. Was Renji breaking through? Renji paused for a brief moment. The next sentence he spoke had to get a reaction out of him. This reaction had to be clear that Renji triggered Ichigo's personality.

"He's just one of those soul reapers that are giving us a bad name. Ichigo thinks he's important just because he carries a big sword and he got his true powers awakened by borrowing another soul reaper's power. He's weak." Renji was starting to raise his voice slightly.

Ren growled. "I don't think I'm special just because I'm different and I'm not weak!" Ren tightened his fists angrily. _Got him, _Renji thought.

"You sure are showing how weak you are now. Letting yourself be taken over by the enemy so easily!"

"I-"

Renji gripped Zabimaru's handle tighter, almost predicting how this next scene would play out. "How dare you stand in front of me in this state Ichigo!" Renji yelled.

Ren started at him dumbfounded. He wore a shocked look on his face. Running through his mind, Ichigo's mind, he was never spoken to like this from Renji often. Normally, he only gave these types of remarks when he needed encouragement, but to him, it felt insulting. He couldn't help being taken over. It was harder to control than it looked.

Seeing no verbal reaction, Renji finished up round one with: "And you call yourself a soul reaper? How pitiful."

With these words taking to him as an insult, Ren summoned a sword. Renji couldn't help but notice the red hilt. "It's not like I could completely prevent this from happening!" He yelled, throwing the sword at Renji. Rolling out of the way, Renji dodged the sword, letting it fly past him into a wall a few yards away from him. "You try keeping yourself in control of your own body in a situation like mine! You know what I'm going through but take it lightly!"

"I don't have to try! Everyone has an inner battle to fight no matter the difficulty to stay sane. You always get depressed when things don't turn out in your favor. You can't control every event that is thrown at you!"

"Then try walking in my shoes for a day and see how you do!" Ren summoned another sword, this one having an orange hilt. Instead of throwing it, Ren came at Renji, who quickly got to his feet and blocked.

Ren pushed on his blade. "I don't have to!" Renji repeated. "Suck it up and be a man! Oh wait, that's right. You aren't. You're just some over confident kid who is only pretending to be one." Renji saw his eyes widen with anger. _Maybe I went a step too far in the wrong direction. All I'm doing is making him mad. Let's try to hit him where it hurts._

Ren and Renji broke apart from one another and came back for another attack, which resulted in another block. This time, Ren was using the majority of his strength to push Renji back. Not letting this continue, Renji disarmed Ren, making his sword fall out of his hand and slide on the ground with a kick from Renji. Irritated, Ren got out of Renji's hold and kicked him in the stomach, sending Renji flying backward into the wall with the red hilted sword in it.

Ren summoned another sword, this one having a yellow hilt. "Don't underestimate me Renji! I'm stronger than I use to be."

Unable to tell whether or not this was still Ichigo's personality, Renji ignored his statement and retaliated. "Then show me face to face! Don't rely on borrowed power! If you're not strong enough to at least do this, then how do you think you're going to carry out you're duties?"

He was glaring at Renji harder now, but he looked slightly confused. "My duties…?"

"How could you forget? You're the substitute soul reaper of Karakura Town! If you can't get through this ordeal here, what makes you think you can protect the people there? And on top of that, protect your friends? You'll only end up hurting them if you go on like this! And think. What about Yuzu and Karin?" Renji saw him twitch. Was this a good sign? "If you can't make it out of this, you're going to let them down! Or even get them killed! And it will all be your fault, because you weren't strong enough to get over something as petty as this!"

"Shut up!" Ren flash stepped toward Renji. Not expecting this, Renji was caught off guard when he appeared in front of him, sword raised. He was stuck between him and the wall to his back and had no time or room to block with Zabimaru. When he saw Ren move to slash him, he put up his arms to attempt to block the blow, but noticed that it was taking him too long to get hit. Renji looked up. "Watch your mouth… Renji…"

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	29. Chapter 29

**An Unexpected Turnout: Chapter 29**

Shocked, Renji starred at him. "Ichigo?"

He moved out of the striking stance and threw the sword in his hand to the ground. "You talk too much." It was Ichigo. His voice was back to its self for the moment. His eyes were still hollowfied though.

Renji laughed. "I did what I had to do."

"Whatever." Ichigo looked irritated. The angry look Ren wore while listening to Renji faded slightly from Ichigo's face, but he still had an agitated expression. What Renji said got to him.

"Hey, that was the only way to get you back in control. I'm not sure how much you heard-"

"I heard enough to get a smack in the face by you. A reality check. You were right in some cases."

Renji smiled. "What are friends for?" Ichigo held his hand out. Renji grabbed it and Ichigo pulled him up to his feet. Renji picked up Zabimaru and sheathed him. "So… how long?"

Ichigo gave him a questioning look. "Huh?"

"Since Ren isn't completely gone right now, and I can tell by your eyes, I'm sure you have a limit to how long you can keep yourself in control."

"Oh that. I mean, right now, I feel fine, but I don't know when that will change."

"Hm…" Renji looked around. He was looking for Katsuya, who was supposed to be around somewhere. Did he get lost?

"So what happens now?" Ichigo asked.

Renji blinked. "Stand there."

"For what?"

"Just do it and don't ask questions. Trust me."

"Tch, fine."

Renji walked a few feet away from Ichigo and stopped. Ichigo was watching him carefully. "Okay; close your eyes and stand perfectly still." Renji raised his right hand to where it was parallel with the ground and stuck his index and middle finger out side by side to Ichigo.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo asked skeptically.

"Keeping my distance. I haven't used this type of kido very much and I don't want it to blow up in my face if it can." Renji took a deep breath.

"W-wait a sec! Don't use that on me if it's not safe! Hey!" Ichigo waved his hands in front of him, trying to convey his point. It didn't seem to bother Renji.

"Hold still or this might hurt!"

"Wait Renji! I feel fine! I don't need to be binded!"

"You feel fine now but what happens if you randomly start feeling worse? Then what?"

"I'll warn you." Renji stared at him skeptically. Should he listen to him? Ren could pop up at any time and Renji didn't want to fight anymore. They were so close to winning this battle and if Ren takes over Ichigo again, the tide might change.

"Ugh… fine. You better warn me though. If I see anything suspicious, I'll use kido to hold you."

"Fair enough." Ichigo paused. "So what are we waiting for?"

"Katsuya. He was up there a few minutes ago but I don't know where he is now. I thought he would be here by now."

"I thought I told Katsuya to run and go get help."

"You did, but he had an idea and it sounded good so I let him stay."

Ichigo sighed. "I hope your plan works."

"It seems like it's working now. I got you out, which wasn't the full intention, but it's better than holding Ren down while waiting for Katsuya. I knew I should have taken the charm when I had the chance…"

"Charm?"

Renji noticed what he said and quickly tried to brush it off. "Uh… nothing. Never mind." He didn't fully understand the takeover situation with Ren and Ichigo and he didn't want to reverse the affects if he could by just saying words with meaning.

Ichigo gave Renji a confused look. "Okay… "

Renji stood and waited for Katsuya patiently. Ichigo thought he'd be more in a hurry to end this fight here so everyone could regroup and finish the problem quickly.

Having nothing else to do during the silence between Renji and Ichigo at the moment, Ichigo thought. _I need to at least hold him back until Katsuya gets here and properly shuts him down. If all else fails, I'll have to reach for the necklace and take it off before I'm completely shut out. I'm feeling better than before, but I don't think I'll be able to get out again once he takes over… Katsuya needs to get here before I start losing my grip again._

"Maybe I should go look for him…" Renji said to himself. Ichigo heard him and agreed.

"Let's go then." Ichigo started walking to an entrance; the one Renji assumed Katsuya was going to come in from.

"Wait a sec! What if we leave and Katsuya comes here?"

"He should wait. I mean, if he's lost, he'll probably think to stay here because he's walked around so much. Don't worry."

"Hey!" Renji ran over to Ichigo as he nearly rounded the corner. Ichigo ignored him as he kept walking.

"It'll be fine. It's better than sitting here and doing nothing." Ichigo turned around and stared at Renji as he said this. Ichigo really wanted to get control back if only for a day. His hollow was not this persistent.

"Ugh… fine. We aren't splitting up though. I don't want to have to save your ass again after my hard work."

"Tch, whatever." Renji and Ichigo took a right out of the courtyard because a dead end was to their left. When they made it to an intersection that didn't consist of dead ends, Renji stopped, causing Ichigo to stop as well.

"Let's see here… we need to find where Katsuya started from." Renji looked to his left and then his right. He didn't think Katsuya was stupid enough to continue past, what seemed to be, the second right he could take.

"You mean that building, right?" Ichigo had jumped up on one of the roof tops just enough to see over it. He saw the building Katsuya was supposedly in before he ran off and got lost.

"Um, yeah." Renji said, looking to his right. Ichigo lowered himself to the ground and followed Renji.

When the two made it to the storage house, Renji kept straight. Ichigo stopped.

"Renji, shouldn't we check in here? I mean, he could have gotten stuck somewhere in here."

Renji turned around and sighed. "You really think he could have gotten stuck somewhere in there? Wouldn't we have heard him or some noise coming from in there?"

Ichigo shrugged. If Katsuya was in the building by some chance, then he probably wouldn't scream for help if he got himself stuck. To Ichigo, he thought Katsuya would keep quiet and try to get himself out of the situation as quickly and quietly as possible. It was worth a shot.

Ichigo turned to the door and opened it, peeking inside. He walked in and examined the room. He saw a door to the right of the staircase and walked over to it. By this time, Renji walked into the building.

"Ichigo," Renji started.

"You're in here now so you might as well search the place. It won't hurt to have a quick look around anyway." Ichigo looked through the small office the door led to. Nothing seemed to be misplaced and there weren't any other doors in the room.

Renji gave an irritated noise while walking up the stairs. "I hope I don't regret this."

X

Katsuya walked around another corner and stopped. Dead end. He ruffled his hair impatiently. "I hope they didn't kill each other. It's awfully quiet…" He turned and took a right. "Maybe Renji will understand that I confused my right and left. There should be an entrance somewhere around here anyway. I mean, I saw another one."

Nervously, Katsuya turned another corner. To his surprise, he made a right turn. He ended up in the courtyard. "Whew! I thought I almost got lost aga- hello?" Katsuya looked around at the damage done to the area. He didn't see anyone.

Katsuya walked further into the courtyard. "Renji!?" Katsuya called out. "Hello? Renji?" Katsuya didn't bother calling out Ren or Ichigo's name. He figured if anyone was nearby, they would respond regardless of the person he was calling.

Seeing as though no one was coming to Katsuya's calls, Katsuya walked toward the entrance he was supposed to come from. "Maybe the two went out looking for me. Should I stay here or look for them?"

X

Renji looked toward the window. He heard someone's voice faintly calling his name. "Katsuya?" He was about to walk toward the window when he put his hand on his hilt, getting a bad vibe from behind him.

Quickly, Renji attempted to draw his sword but was to slow. Two swords flew past him. One hit the wall near Renji's head, and one broke through the window, shattering the glass and making it scatter everywhere. Preparing to turn around, Renji heard a scream from outside. "Katsuya!" On instinct, Renji jumped out of the window to go to see why Katsuya screamed, almost afraid of knowing why.

"Hey! Katsuya, are you okay?" Renji yelled, running over to Katsuya. From the looks of it, the sword had wedged itself in the wall a few inches to the right of Katsuya's left arm. Katsuya was sitting now, but if he were standing, the sword would have been right next to his arm.

"Um…" Katsuya was staring at the sword. He hadn't looked away from it to look at Renji at all. Nodding his head, Katsuya said "Yeah… a bit shaken up, but I'll be fine."

Renji seemed to let out a breath he had been holding for a few seconds, despite the fact that it felt like he was holding it for a few minutes. Renji grabbed the sword from the wall and pulled it out, throwing it behind him as it disintegrated. "Stand up," Renji commanded, holding his hand out to him. Katsuya grabbed it, looking at him for once, and pulled himself up. Renji made sure to hold the stare. "Go hide. I'll finish this."

"Okay." Katsuya turned and went through the entrance exit and stood with his back against the wall facing the courtyard. He'd unintentionally blocked his view from the battle, but it was probably for his own good.

With Katsuya semi hidden, or at least out of the way, Renji faced toward the window he jumped out of. He saw Ren standing on the balcony next to the window.

"You know what he tried to do?" Ren asked almost smiling with slight irritation. "He thought that he could lock himself in a random room and hold out long enough before I could get him."

Renji gave him a confused look. "That idiot… Ichigo was fine when he came to his senses!"

"He wasn't. Despite the fact that he appeared fine, he wasn't. He hoped you'd find Katsuya without him and then bring him back to seal me off, but it didn't work. He could have held up until you got Katsuya in this case, but he got distracted when he heard Katsuya's voice."

Katsuya frowned from behind the wall. Hearing that it was his fault for Ichigo changing back this time was very upsetting to hear.

"Everything else went downhill from there." Ren jumped up on the railing and dropped down onto the concrete. He walked about five steps toward Renji and stopped. The two were still a good ways away from each other.

Renji looked up slightly. They had about thirty minutes before the fair ended and clean up started. Renji signed up to help clean Sokyoku Hill when the fair ended because Rukia was going to do it, so he had to be present at that time or he'd get in trouble and people would start looking for him. He had to finish the battle quickly.

"It's about time we end this." Ren summoned three swords. One in his right hand and two floating to the right and left of his body.

He unsheathed his sword. "Roar, Zabimaru." Renji didn't waste time. He contemplated on using bankai instead of his shikai, but for some reason he didn't believe he needed it yet.

Ren started by raising his left arm. He made a motion toward Renji and the two swords went flying toward him. Renji prepared to block them. Assuming the swords were just going to be deflected, Renji didn't think too much of them, but to his surprise the swords gave him a bit more trouble. They were attacking him. Caught off guard, Renji took a step back and left himself open for a moment. He quickly guarded when a sword tried to strike him on the shoulder.

While he was distracted, Ren took this time to run up on Renji. He used his left hand to command the two swords attacking Renji to hold him in place while he approached him quickly. Seeing Ren's motive, Renji broke away from the swords and blocked Ren's attack. It seemed to Renji that all fun and games were over because Ren didn't give him a smile this time around. He looked serious.

The two broke apart and quickly exchanged sword clashes. When Ren came in for another attack without his two swords, which were floating behind him waiting for commands, Renji made Zabimaru extend toward Ren. Slightly caught off guard, he blocked in a way that wouldn't make his sword get stuck in Zabimaru's teeth. Renji pulled back on Zabimaru and made him come in for another attack, this time coming in from his right. Ren naturally blocked but accidently let go of his sword when Renji pulled his zanpakuto back toward him. Ren's sword clattered to the ground and Ren was momentarily vulnerable. Quickly thinking, Renji held his hand out. "Shakkaho!" Forgetting about how bad he was at kido, the spell blew up in his face. "Ah, dammit!"

Ren stared at him, giving him a strange look. He apparently didn't pull any memories about Renji's fighting skills out from Ichigo's memory. "No comment." Ren said.

"Shut up." Renji swung Zabimaru at a semi swordless Ren. Ren commanded one of the two swords floating by him to block it. Renji and the sword held each other for a moment before Renji pulled Zabimaru back and made his zanpakuto retract. The sword flew back toward Ren and took its place by him.

By this time, Ren decided what he was going to do next. With the first sword lying on the ground, Ren dismissed it and grabbed the sword to his left.

Ren came at Renji, sword raised. Renji swung Zabimaru and clashed with Ren. Having hit Renji's zanpakuto at a good angle, Ren pushed it aside and kept coming for Renji. Seeing this, Renji pulled back on Zabimaru to try to get Ren's attention off of him. With a wave of his left hand, Ren commanded the sword to block Renji's blade. _Got him._ Ren thought while readying his blade to cut into Renji.

As Ren took his last step toward Renji, he raised and quickly lowered his sword. Unable to do anything else, Renji sidestepped, missing Ren's attack. This completely caught Ren off guard and caused him to lean too far forward. He stumbled and nearly fell. Renji could feel the sword Zabimaru was defending against back off and used this time to pull Zabimaru back in to administer a blow to Ren. When Zabimaru was almost in range, Renji remembered he was trying not to cause any more severe damage to Ichigo's body. This in mind, Renji completely retracted his zanpakuto. He then used the butt of his hilt to hit his back, making Ren fall to one knee. Renji then reluctantly held his hand up and prayed it wouldn't blow up in his face again. "Shakkaho!" At near point blank range, Ren took a direct hit. Due to Renji being so close to the blast, he took some damage. This was not enough to weaken him greatly though, because he took a few steps back right when the blast hit Ren. Renji didn't know exactly where he hit him, but he knew the spell hit its mark.

Renji took a few more steps back as he waited for the small cloud of smoke to disappear or become translucent. He could only guess that the attack weakened Ren enough to bring the battle to a close. That's what he hoped anyway.

When Ren took a few steps out of the disappearing cloud of smoke, Renji could see a few drops of blood dripping from his hand, along with his right arm burned by the red flame canon. Renji noticed that Ren was swordless, and that the other sword he was defending against went back to Ren's left side. _Wasn't that sword on his right a few minutes ago? _Renji thought. _He grabbed the sword on his left when he still had two manifested, leaving the last one on his right side. It would make sense that it would still be on his right… right? That's what they did when he was fighting at least._ Renji took another look at Ren. _Maybe it's because his right arm is damaged._ A thought from one of Katsuya's mini meetings popped into his head after trying to understand the minor detail. He could remember Katsuya's words exactly: "_So, you see, Ren has the ability to create or manifest swords at will. He can do this as long as he can move his arms to give the swords the direction and target they need to go to."_ _That's it! _Renji thought to himself. _All I have to do is damage his other arm and he's done. _Confident, Renji debated on whether or not to sheath his sword or leave it out. He only needed to use Shakkaho one more time on Ren's left arm. Better safe than sorry, Renji left Zabimaru out.

Saying nothing, Ren grabbed the sword to his left with his left hand, completely discarding his right arm. Renji didn't know if he could still use his right arm at all or not, but it was safe to say that it really didn't matter anymore. Renji could assume victory after a few more clashes.

As if an unknown connection was made between the two, the two ran for each other simultaneously. They locked blades and pushed against each other's weight. _Damn… this kid isn't naturally left handed and it's affecting me. _Ren thought. _I should have taken more care not to get blasted in my right arm._ Despite using Ichigo's non-dominant hand, Ren pushed as hard as he could on Renji's zanpakuto.

Renji could feel how much weaker Ren had gotten after the blast. Even before the damage to his arm was taken, Ren seemed slightly weak to Renji. He had more skill than power. It made him wonder how he defeated Toshiro at less than full power. It didn't make much sense if he could beat a real captain and fall to a lieutenant captain. Then again, Ren was pretty much weakened despite the fact that the two didn't deal too much damage to each other. Renji had to assume switching from consciousnesses with Ichigo took a toll on Ren physically. He was also fighting with his non-dominant hand which would make anyone that wasn't ambidextrous weaker. Ren had nothing going for him at this point.

Due to Ren's weakened state, Renji pushed Ren back quite easily. Ren automatically got his footing and came for Renji again. Renji swung Zabimaru at Ren while Ren dodged. He obtained a few scratches as he maneuvered around the two swings Renji administered.

"What's wrong?" Renji remarked. "You're getting slower. I thought you were going to end this." He gave Zabimaru his third swing before returning him to his normal state. Ren quickly side stepped twice to attempt to avoid Renji's attack. He received a scratch on his left arm as a result.

"Heh, I am…" Ren panted, "right now."

X

Katsuya walked up to the wall he was standing behind as he heard Ren's last words. He thought that Renji was supposed to say this instead of Ren. He knew just by listening to the battle that Ren was weaker than Renji at this point. Why was he so confident?

Debating on whether or not he wanted to look around the corner, Katsuya heard Renji gasp. Not able to fight off human curiosity, Katsuya pulled his head around the corner and froze. Before him floated several dozen blades pointing in Katsuya's direction. These blades were most likely not meant for him, but for Renji, who was standing a few yards in front of the wall Katsuya was hiding behind.

Beginning to go into panic mode, Katsuya thought about his options quickly. _If I run out there now, Ren will stop, right? I mean he still has some care for me… yeah? Wait, then I'd probably get Renji injured or killed in a cliché kind of way. I can't do that. But what about Renji? If I don't do anything- What can I even do? Run. That's it. Save myself? I want to help but… It's the only thing I can do. Maybe I could get Ren's attention before then? But what if… dammit…_

Katsuya knew what he had to do. It was the only thing he was capable of doing. Run. He just couldn't get his eyes off the army of swords hovering over the ground, ready to attack. Ren only had his left arm to command the swords but to Katsuya's knowledge, he shouldn't be able to control, let alone summon that many swords in the state he was in. Was he just trying to scare Renji?

"Don't look so surprised." Ren said to a semi shocked Renji. "I'm still using Ichigo's power. Even if my steam runs out, his is still partially in reserve."

"Bastard…"

"Try dodging this!" Ren held his left arm up toward Renji as the swords started to react to the motion, heading straight for Renji and Katsuya.

_I need to move! Now!_ Snapping himself out of his shock, Katsuya started to run to his left but found that he was too late. He heard a loud crashing sound of concrete crumbling, followed by pressure in his abdomen.

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